Youkai In The Mirror
by SugarRos
Summary: Kagome Higurashi is lucky. She has good grades, good friends, and the cute, popular boy in class just asked her out. But when she accidentally unleashes a very wicked youkai from a very wicked spell, her luck runs out. Now on the run from a powerful priestess, Kagome must help Inuyasha get his revenge.
1. Chapter 1: Legend Of The Mirror

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's notes: Hello everyone. Trying to get the creative juices flowing for my original fiction, so I'm back with another story about Inuyasha to just have some writing fun again. Enjoy.

Disclamer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or it's characters. So sad.

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Chapter 1: Legend of the Mirror.

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Kagome

_Hey, I had fun last night. :) Do it again?_

Kagome Higurashi smiled down at her cell phone. She let her hair fall down around her face as she cupped the small handheld device with her hands. Phones weren't technically allowed on the tour. Her teacher would confiscate it if he saw her with it. But she'd had to ignore museum instructions to turn all cell devises off, because Hojou might text her.

And didn't it always just come down to a boy in the end?

Quickly, her thumbs moved to text back, eyes flicking back up to see if anyone noticed her. Oh, Sango was giving her the evil eye. She mouthed for Kagome to put her phone away quick.

_It's Hojou!_ She mouthed back. Sango rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the tour.

_I had fun last night too. :) _Kagome typed. _ I'd love to do it again. This weekend, maybe?_ She shut her phone and pushed it back into her jeans pocket; eagerly awaiting the next little vibration telling her he'd texted back.

"Okay, if you'll all just follow me now – this way! Yes, stay together – gather around." Kagome pushed her way through the throng of her history class and scooted up next to Sango, who rolled her eyes again at Kagome's giant, beaming grin.

"Oh God," she muttered, "Could you be any more smug?"

"I am not _smug_," Kagome said, feigning insult. She couldn't help that giant grin from taking over her face again.

"You have it bad." Sango shook her head. "How the heck did you get him to ask you out anyway? Hojou is the most popular guy in school."

Kagome just shrugged. "I don't know, lucky I guess?" It was true; luck seemed to follow Kagome around wherever she went. She liked to think it was because she was a good person, and she believed she put good karma out there. Her grandfather liked to think it was the petrified mummy's hand he kept trying to pawn off on her. He was old and, she was beginning to think, senile to boot.

"You do seem to have all the luck." Sango muttered, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Kagome knew Sango was just being stubborn. In truth, her best friend since freshman year wanted good things for Kagome. When she'd called Sango in a panic because Hojou had just asked her out, she'd come rushing over so they could pick out an outfit to wear. She didn't let Sango do her makeup though, Kagome thought less makeup was better; Sango was a fan of the smoky-eyed look.

"This chamber we're about to walk into is old – so old in fact that it was here before the museum was even built." The guide continued. "The artifacts we have on display down here date back to the Edo period, and are some of the most interesting artifacts because of the magic abilities they were believed to have back in the day." She smiled at the collective scoffs and eye rolls of the students. "Of course, we realize today that these pieces are not, in fact, magic, but try to let them take you back to a time where people truly believed that these artifacts granted great power, or gave wishes, or caused plague and curses."

The class followed the guide through the giant, arched cave-like doorway, and down the stone steps. The farther down they went, the colder it got and the darker it became. The only light source burned from dozens of authentic prehistoric torches lining the walls, casting eerie shadows against the rocky walls.

The museum had transformed into a cave, and about seven artifacts were scattered around the room. A few other people outside of their tour wandered around from piece to piece, pointing and conferring their museum pamphlets.

The guide ushered them forward until they stood in front of a giant mirror. The glass looked almost black, sitting inside the dark cave, and the thick golden frame was inscribed with letters – at least, what Kagome _thought_ were letters – etched around the entire edge.

"This," the guild said, in a sort of breathless manor that fit very well into their current environment, "is the Mirror of the Youkai." Her eyes lit up with excitement, and Kagome wondered idly if she'd ever have a job she enjoyed so much herself. "This piece is very exciting because of a few reasons," she continued. The most intriguing, however, is the story behind it."

"The Mirror of the Youkai is said to be a cursed mirror. The legend goes: there was once a great Youkai, powerful and strong, and as dark as dark could be. He raged through villages, killing off anyone who crossed his path, even devouring children. No one could stop him, he was said to be the bringer of death – the end of the world, so the speak."

The guide smiled, knowing she held the classes' interest now, which was hard to do with a bunch of rowdy seventeen and eighteen-year-olds. "Then one day, a priestess appeared. A powerful priestess. And she stood against the Youkai. It's said that their battle ranged for ten days and nights, constantly warring with each other, never resting.

"The battle was intense and horrific, and just when all seemed lost, when it looked like the priestess might lose, she wove a spell, one so powerful and so intricate, that it overpowered the Youkai, and trapped him inside this very mirror." She paused for dramatic effect. "It's said that the priestess must visit him every night at midnight to re-weave the spell, or his entrapment is broken, and he will be free to cause destruction again."

The class stared up into the deep, dark glass, and Kagome was no exception. There was something a little… off about it. She almost believed there was a three-hundred-year-old demon sleeping within, ready to execute his revenge on a world that had confined him, held him captive for so long

Something about that mirror drew her in. She took a step towards it... another one…

"_Kagome!_" Sango hissed from off to her left. Shaking her head to clear the fog that had gathered, she realized the class was moving on to the next artifact. She hurried to catch up.

Two artifacts later, and Kagome was bored again. The mirror had been the only real interesting thing down here. Kagome was in no way a history buff. Her grandfather had seen to that by constantly shoving her own history down her throat. She'd much rather be spending her days shopping with Sango and flirting with Hojou than learning about history.

Her hand unconsciously moved to her back pocket. She resisted the urge to whip it out and look at it again. It hadn't vibrated yet, she knew he hadn't text her. Nothing to do but wait.

Her eyes kept sliding back to that mirror.

Two more artifacts later, Kagome had to pee. Telling Sango of her predicament, she moved through her class towards her teacher.

"Itou-Sensei," she said. "I have to go to the bathroom."

He peered at her through his thick glasses. "Fine Higurashi, quickly now."

She smiled. "Yes sir." It paid off doing well in class; a teacher's trust was great on field tips. She followed the dimly lit signs to the bathroom, the only one down in this section of the museum. When she made it to the doorway, she realized that the bathroom was actually at the very end of a long hallway.

Sighing loudly at the inconvenience of it all, she started down the hallway. The only other door she passed was a janitor's closet. She reached out and grasped the door handle of the unisex bathroom, then let out a loud groan, her eyes falling on the yellow 'out of order' sign on the door.

Great, just great. Suddenly that giant Iced Tea from the McDonalds the school bus had stopped at on their way to the museum seemed like a terrible idea. What had she been thinking?

Ugh, she couldn't hold it. No way would she make it all the way up the stairs on the other side of the cave and make it to a different bathroom. She had to pee _now_.

Making her choice, she opened the door and stepped inside.

The bathroom was just as dark as the rest of the cave. Ignoring the yellow 'caution' sign propped up on the floor, she stepped around and opened a stall. Well, it wasn't the cleanest bathroom she'd ever seen, but it wasn't the worst, either. As long as she didn't touch anything, she should be okay.

As she settled in to do her business, locking her stall out of habit, the bathroom door opened and closed again. She heard the shuffling of feet. Strange, didn't they see the sign outside?

She rolled her eyes. She'd seen it too, and it hadn't stopped her. Maybe someone else couldn't hold it either.

Finishing up, she stood and used her foot to push the handle down.

It didn't flush.

Sighing, feeling skeevy about leaving the toilet as it was, she stepped out from the stall.

And froze.

Hiromi and her gang of popular girl friends had crowded inside the bathroom. And now they stood between her and the door.

Great.

"What, no flush _Higurashi_?" Hiromi sneered.

Kagome flashed her best please-don't-try-to-start-a-fight-with-me smile. She had a feeling she knew what this was about. It was a well-known fact that Hiromi had a thing for Hojou, which made it hard for anyone to get close to him. Obviously news had gotten around about their date already, which would totally set Hiromi off.

It wasn't Kagome's fault that Hojou liked her better.

"It's out of order," Kagome replied as sweetly as possible. She could probably take Hiromi in a fight if it was one-on-one, but seven-on-one were odds she knew she was going to lose.

"Whatever." The girl bit out, flipping her hair and jutting her nose into the air. "I heard that you went out with Hojou last night."

Kagome felt her back stiffen. Here it came. "Ah, yes, he took me out last night. It was nice. We played some pool and had dinner." She didn't mention that she'd purposely played worse at pool than she knew how. Not that she was all that good, but she'd wanted a reason for Hojou to put his arms around her.

"Oh, was it _nice_?" Hiromi sneered again. Kagome was getting pretty damn tired of that sneer. "Did you guys have a _nice_ time and eat _nice_ food?"

She bit her lip, trying desperately to keep herself from saying something to make the situation worse.

"Did you fuck him?" Hiromi asked, her tone flat, her gaze hard.

Taken aback, Kagome couldn't help herself. "What? No! Not that it's any of your business!" She snapped, feeling a rage building within her. What a total bitch. "Even if I _had_ slept with him, it wouldn't be any of your business."

A wicked grin spread across the girl's face. "See, that's where you're wrong, Higurashi." She said. Kagome fought herself to hold her ground. She would not take a step back, she would not show weakness. "It is my business if you're fucking him or not, because he's _mine_." She folded her arms across her chest. Then, to her friends: "Get her."

All six lunged at her at the same time. Kagome's hands came up to protect her face, but she couldn't do much against the sheer number of girls grabbing at her. Her hair, her clothes, her arms. They turned her around and shoved her face up against the bathroom stall, hard. They pushed her head against the metal, her arms twisted behind her and were pushed against her back. She tried to kick out, but they held her steady. She couldn't move.

"Now, now, what to do with you?" Hiromi purred from behind her. Her gang of girls chuckled. "I could let you go," she continued, "if you promised not to go near Hojou again."

Kagome tried to hold her tears at bay. It just wasn't _fair._ She'd liked Hojou for years, ever since he'd helped her pick up her books freshman year after a particularly embarrassing stumble in the hallway. And he finally, _finally_ asked her out. They'd had a wonderful date. She'd laughed, he'd kissed her, she'd been _happy_. She didn't want to promise not to go near him.

"…No." She finally said, steeling herself against the onslaught Hiromi was sure to release.

It was at that time that her traitorous cell phone decided to vibrate.

"Hey!" One of the six girls called. "I think she's got a text!"

She felt a hand slip into her pocket and pull out her cell phone. _Please let it be Sango wondering where I am_, she prayed. _Please, please, please let it be Sango_.

She heard Hiromi flip open her phone. A long pause followed. Kagome couldn't move, couldn't turn to see Hiromi's face. She closed her eyes, hoping her luck had come through at last.

"'We'll have to get together this weekend for sure,'" Hiromi read out loud. "'What do you want to do? Bowling? A movie? Anything you want, beautiful.'"

_Dammit, Hojou!_ She thought, _your timing sucks._

Suddenly, Hiromi's red, scrunched up, angry face was taking up her field of vision. "You fucking liar. You _did_ sleep with him! You're going to fucking regret the day you were born when we're done with you." She turned to her gang. "Find some rope or something in the janitor's closet, we'll tie her up."

Kagome felt her stomach drop. What the hell were they going to do to her? She knew that Hiromi was a little off her rocker, but she had no idea the girl was certifiably insane. "Are you crazy?" Kagome cried, trying to struggle against the five girls now holding her down. She didn't do much better this time around. "What are you doing to do, tie me up and hang me by my feet?"

Hiromi stepped into her field of vision again, that wicked smile twisting her face into something inhuman. "The thought is tempting, but…. I think a little time to mull over everything you've done is just what you need. Right, girls?"

They chuckled again, muttering a 'that's right!' here and there.

"Something tells me," Hiromi continued, "that not a lot of people come down this way."

That was it; Kagome Higurashi's luck had run out.

She was screwed.

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As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

I'm excited about this one. Hope you've enjoyed! See you soon for the next chapter.

~SugarRos


	2. Chapter 2: Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

Youkai in the Mirror

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Authors' Note: Good to be back everyone. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 2: Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall.

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Kagome

Oh, Hiromi was going to _pay_.

Kagome wasn't sure how exactly. It was a little hard to think with her arms tied behind her back and her ankles knotted together and duct tape pressed over her mouth. But once she got out of there, once she escaped, she was going to formulate a plan, and Hiromi was going to _pay_.

Kagome was normally the forgive-and-forget type. She wasn't prone to holding grudges. But who in their right mind did things like tied people up and shoved them in janitor closets? This whole ordeal was unforgivable.

She really, _really_ hoped dating Hojou was worth it.

She groaned, thinking of Hojou. Stupid Hiromi, after instructing her minions to tie Kagome up, had sent a lovely text to Hojou on Kagome's behalf.

'_Never talk to me again, you ugly piece of shit. I fucking hate you,'_ the text said. Kagome had rolled her eyes first. Anyone that knew her knew she never talked like that. But her heart sank after realizing that Hojou didn't really _know_ her, not like Sango did. He might take one look at that text and decide he didn't like her so much after all.

And after he'd called her beautiful and everything…

She wiggled around in the cramped closet space, and knocked over a broom. The handle hit her in the head, and she let out a pitiful groan, trying to reach up and rub the sore spot on reflex.

She just wanted to scream. Her arms ached. Her back ached. And crazy Hiromi had been right – no one had come down this way. Not one person had walked by, and she'd been listening intently for a chance to make some noise and make someone notice she was there.

Kagome didn't know how long she'd been in the closet now. The girls had stuffed her phone back into her jeans pocket where she couldn't reach it, and her butt was going numb and she was hungry. Had a few hours passed? It felt like it, but without knowing the time, she'd might have been stuck in there for only a few minutes.

God, she was so pissed off. More pissed off than she'd ever been in her entire life.

"_Don't worry, we won't let you starve," Hiromi had sneered down at her. "We'll be back sometime tomorrow to set you free." That slow, twisted grin returned to her face. "That should be enough time to think things over." And with that, she shut Kagome off from the rest of the world._

Forget it. Kagome refused to give Hiromi the satisfaction of still being tied up when she came back to get her. But how to break free? Her stupid gang of stupid girls knew their knots. She'd been struggling against the ropes since they'd thrown her in. _Think, Kagome. Think!_ She berated herself. She was smarter than Hiromi was, she could think of a way out of this!

She moved her fingers, trying again to pull against the ropes, and she felt a sharp sting on the tip of her index finger. "Ouch!" She cried, although it came out sounding like: "Mmmph!" What the heck had cut her? She felt around, a bit more cautiously this time, and her fingers came in contact with her ring.

It wasn't an expensive ring. It didn't have diamonds, or fancy carvings. It was made crudely of some sort of metal, maybe copper or tin. But it was special to her, because her little brother, Souta, had made it for her fifteenth birthday, all by himself. He'd gone through a creative stage at that point, and had crafted a lot of little things, all kind of forgotten and packed away with the rest of their childhood memories. Souta hadn't been very good at it, and he moved on to obsessing about drifting and cars instead. But that ring he made her was special, and she hadn't taken it off since he gave it to her.

Tears pricked at her eyes at the thought of what she had to do to that ring now. She hated Hiromi even more for making her destroy something that was so special to her. Hoping that Souta would forgive her, Kagome wiggled the ring off her finger, and squeezed it with all the might she could scrounge up in her current predicament. Her heart broke a little when she felt it give under pressure, and it's sides pushed together to form a nice, sharp little point to work with.

It took a while. The ring was small and she had to cut through a couple layers of the rope before her hands finally broke free. She quickly reached up to rip the tape off her mouth, and swallowed a shout of rage as the tender flesh around her lips screamed in protest. Without wasting time, she moved on to her ankles, making quick work of the ropes now that her hands were free.

Slowly, slowly she stood up, her body screaming in protest from being in too uncomfortable of a situation for too long. Now to get out of this stupid museum and hope her teacher didn't kill her for being gone so long.

She opened the door and slipped out, hoping no one was there to catch her. The cave was eerily quiet. No soft murmurs bounced off the rocky walls. No shuffling feet on the floor save for her own. She made her way down the hall, hoping against hope that she hadn't been in there for _too_ long.

Half the torches that had lit up the place before were now extinguished, casting even creepier shadows than the last time she'd walked through. She slowly made her way towards the opening of the cave, her heart sinking. No one was here. She was alone.

Quickly she whipped out her cell, berating herself mentally for not looking at it earlier. She flipped it open and frowned. No reply from Hojou. Great. And it was now 11:15pm. The museum had long since closed down. She was stuck.

_Why the hell didn't Itou-sensei come looking for me?_ She thought. _Or Sango?_ Surely her friend would have noticed her absence. Quickly, she died Sango's number, placing the phone up to her ear.

She answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Sango!" A wave of relief washed over Kagome.

"Kagome! What the hell happened?" She asked, the same note of relief evident in her tone. "Hiromi told everyone you'd slipped out to meet Hojou, Itou-sensei was pissed."

Argh, stupid Hiromi, Kagome was going to kill her. "Sango, I didn't sneak out to see Hojou, Hiromi and her friends freaking jumped me in the bathroom."

"_What_?" Sango shouted. Kagome moved the phone away from her ear so as not to go deaf. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, they just tied me up and threw me into the janitor's closet."

"And you've been in there all this time?" She asked. Then: "I guess I should have come looking for you myself."

"Gee, you think?" Kagome snapped, testier than she usually was. She let all the air out of her lungs. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I'm just not having a very good night so far." She said.

"Seriously. Want me to come and get you?"

"Ummm…." Kagome glanced around. She was in a museum. Midnight was fast approaching. She was closed in. "That might not be a good idea." She said. "The museum is closed, it's not like I can just walk out."

"I hadn't thought of that," Sango said, then cursed. "Well, why don't you just go to security and tell them what happened?"

"Are you kidding?" Kagome hissed into the phone. "No way they'll believe me! They'll think I'm just some stupid juvenile delinquent trying to steal one of these stupid artifacts! I have college to think about, I can't get a record!"

"Okay, calm down. Listen, just hide out somewhere for now. I'll be there first thing in the morning to come in and get you."

"Okay." Kagome said, loving Sango more and more every second. "Thank you."

"When I see Hiromi…" Sango replied, growling deep in her throat. She let the threat hang.

"You and me both." She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

After hanging up with Sango, and a promise that she'd bring something to eat with her when she came in the morning, Kagome looked around, trying to figure out her next move. It was cold in the cave, and it had been a warm, 80-degree day outside. She hadn't thought to bring a sweater along. Who knew she'd be jumped and hog-tied? She rubbed her hands quickly up and down her arms, trying to warm herself up. It was all she could do. Deciding that maybe finding somewhere a little warmer to hide in the museum would be a good idea, she made her way towards the stairs.

Something moved in the corner of her eye, and she whipped around to follow the movement.

Nothing was there except for the giant mirror. Oh, and her reflection. She rolled her eyes. _Don't freak yourself out, Kagome. It's just a stupid mirror._ She shrugged off the eerie feeling that tried to make its way up her spine and continued towards the stairs, slowly tip toeing up and up and up. When she reached the mouth of the cave she peeked around the corner, scanning the much more modern room. Just as she took a step out she saw the bobbing of a flashlight and the jangling of keys.

_Oh crap!_ _Security!_ Without thinking twice she turned and hurried back down the stairs, searching for a place to hide. The only thing big enough in the room to conceal her was the mirror, which wasn't hanging, just leaning nicely propped up against the wall. Quickly she stepped over the red velvet ropes, ignoring the 'do not pass' sign, and dove behind the mirror. She tried to scrunch up into the smallest ball she could, and held her breath as the security guard ambled down the stairs she'd just come from.

He took what seemed like forever to make his sweep of the room, and then turned to go back and hopefully spend a lot of time checking out the rest of the building.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome stepped out from behind the mirror and back over the ropes. She turned and bowed to whatever spirit was supposedly taking residence inside. "Sorry museum gods," she said, humoring herself. "I'll stay on this side of the ropes from now on. …Unless the guard comes back." She added after a thought. The she stepped back from the mirror and gave it a good look.

What was it about that mirror? She felt like it pulled her in, like an insect being drawn to a flame. She wasn't sure if it was the legend the guide had talked about or what, but Kagome felt unsettled and uneasy every time she looked at it. And it was kind of hard to look away. Sighing, figuring she was in for the long haul tonight, so she might as well entertain herself, she walked up to it and took a good look at herself.

Kagome knew she was pretty enough. Average in looks, killer in school, save for math, and she thought she had a decent personality. She leaned in closer, her chocolate brown eyes and fair skin striking a sharp contrast with the bluish-black color of the mirror.

She smiled, shrugged at her self, did a full turn, and instantly felt like she was the wicked step mother in Snow White. Laughing at herself, thankful that no one was around to watch her acting so stupid, she walked up and placed her hands on the mirror.

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" She grinned, waiting for a reply.

"Dammit wench!" Came a deep, rough, angry voice. "Could you _be_ anymore vain?"

Kagome reared back let out an ear-splitting scream.

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As always, comments and critiques are welcome. Hope you guys enjoyed! See you in the next chapter.

~SugarRos


	3. Chapter 3: Youkai In The Mirror

Youkai in the Mirror

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Authors' Note: Kind of a longer chapter than the others, but I couldn't find a good place to tie it off earlier. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 3: Youkai in the Mirror

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Inuyasha

Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. Every day. Every fuckin' day it was the same damn thing. The people came and they stared up into the mirror, either with boredom or extreme interest. Their stupid, human faces doing their stupid, insignificant human stuff. Then they moved on and others stepped up to take their place.

They made him sick.

Just this afternoon another big group of children had come stomping through. He imagined what they'd do if he showed himself. Glaring out at them from inside his own, personal prison, he watched every human walk past. Burned their image into his brain.

He imagined what it would be like to walk among them. He'd watched, after all, for the last three hundred years as humans and Youkai alike changed over the centuries. How society had developed. He watched as he was passed from collectors' hand to collectors' hand. Sometimes he spent twenty years in one spot. Sometimes he spent only six months in another. But he was always trapped, always stuck in this stupid cell of his.

He spent the first hundred years of his entrapment going over and over in his head the events that led him to being captured, but after a while he got bored. He couldn't change what had happened. All he could do was plot his revenge.

Which is why when that _bitch_, that cursed priestess that had first entrapped him here three hundred years ago showed up in that group of students, rage had blinded him. He jumped up and stalked towards her. He'd almost shown himself.

_Kikyou…_ He hissed to no one in particular. He watched as she gathered around with the rest of the humans, acting as if it was the first time she'd seen the blasted mirror. Acting like she wasn't the world's most powerful witch in all of history.

He didn't get it. What the fuck was she doing? She was playing some stupid game with him, he just couldn't figure out what. Wasn't it bad enough that she'd trapped him in the first place? Wasn't it enough that he was, basically, granting her immortality?

Of course, if it were up to him, she'd be dead. But Inuyasha, at this point, was used to not getting his way.

Which pissed him off even more.

He growled as Kikyou stepped closer to the mirror as the rest of the humans moved on. She was dressed in regular clothes. She wore her hair different. She had light makeup on. He braced himself, ready for whatever it was she was planning to do with him.

"Kagome!" Someone called. Kikyou whipped her head around and moved off towards the voice without even a backwards glance. He'd almost gone over the edge then.

Stupid bitch, what the fuck was she playing at? He'd kill her.

He watched her until she was out of his line of sight. He cursed the fact that he could only see so far in either direction outside of his cell.

Nothing to do now but wait. Why she decided to drop in early was beyond him. It was only the afternoon. He could tell by the number of tours that had passed by as he sat there, having nothing to do but count them. He waited. And waited. The group she had arrived with left, as did every other human throughout the rest of the day, but Kikyou never came back.

For a while he sat and wondered if he'd really seen her, or if he was actually starting to crack at this point. Three hundred years, after all, was a damn long time to be stuck in a magical mirror.

Just when he thought he was indeed, finally, going insane, she showed up again.

Inuyasha's ears perked up. He moved closer to the barrier, to the point just before he would be shown, and he watched her. She looked up at the mirror for a while. Not showing it any recognition at all. Again, Inuyasha fought the urge to show himself. He refused to do it until he knew what she was trying to do. He stayed hidden as she took one of those mechanical talking things out of her pocket and messed around with it, then put it up to her head.

He could hear her one-sided conversation. Being alive so long, living so many years as he did, he'd passed some of the boredom by studying the little details that had changed along the way. The contraption she was using was called a 'cell phone', and there was someone, somewhere talking into another 'cell phone' with the other half of the conversation.

At first when those little things started to appear he'd thought humans were going crazy, walking around and talking to themselves. Then he'd thought they were talking to people stuck in other dimensions, like he was. It was a while before he figured out that they used the contraptions to communicate over long distances. He longed to touch one for himself. To hold it in his hands and open it up and finally understand how they'd gotten voices to travel through the air so quickly.

It was only one of the many things that fascinated him about the current time.

He watched as she closed her phone and headed towards the entrance to the room. He wondered why she didn't give him the time of day. What the hell was she doing?

He watched as, again, she came into view. This time she was _running_, though, and her eyes were wide and she was breathing hard, and she was coming right at him.

Inuyasha growled, ready for her to finally acknowledge him. Instead, she hopped right over the velvet ropes that kept all the humans at bay and dove around the corner.

He opened his mouth. Unbelievable. What the hell was she doing now? Seconds later the sound of heavy steps approached, keys jangling, flashlight bobbing around, and it hit him. Kikyou was actually running from the guards. As if she was afraid of being seen.

Inuyasha scoffed. Was she out of her mind? Kikyou didn't run from mere humans, she wasn't afraid of being seen. She had no qualms about casting memory spells, or any other sort of spells that she thought would aid her in her mission. That was the whole reason she kept him in here, after all; the bitch.

Still trying to sort it all out he waited patiently as the guard strolled through the room, the flashlight bobbing over the mirror, circling the area. Deeming everything in order, he turned on his heels and moved on to the next section, leaving Inuyasha alone with a conniving, crazy priestess who was trying to trick him in some unfathomable way he just couldn't figure out.

Kikyou gingerly stepped into his vision again and breathed a visual sigh of relief. Then she turned to the mirror.

Ah-HA, he knew it. Whatever she was planning to do, she was going to do it now.

She bowed.

"Sorry museum gods," she said in a soft, low voice. "I'll stay on this side of the ropes from now on. …Unless the guard comes back."

His jaw dropped. _What_?! Was she kidding? Was she fucking kidding? He fisted his hands at his side and felt the anger boiling inside him. Thoughts of ripping her throat out danced through him. How dare she make fun of his entrapment! How dare she fool around like that!

He watched, stunned into silence, as Kikyou stepped back and looked the giant mirror up and down, paying close attention to the golden frame she'd inscribed the spell into herself. She sighed again, shrugged, and then finally, _finally_ walked towards him. But she wasn't looking at him. No, she was _checking herself out_. She made one of those stupid kissy faces he'd seen girls make over and over during the decades, and she looked herself up and down, spinning in place, smiling at her reflection.

Inuyasha took a step back as she laughed. _Laughed_. He'd never heard Kikyou laugh before, not even one of those evil, maniacal laughs he'd have thought she'd develop over the centuries of not having a soul anymore.

This laugh was light and breezy and said she didn't have a care in the world. That she wasn't a three-hundred-year-old evil priestess with spells to cast and innocent hanyou to keep locked up inside mirrors and crap.

She leaned in then, and placed her hands on the mirror and said: "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Then she smiled.

Inuyasha snapped. "Dammit wench!" He yelled, stepping out to reveal himself. "Could you _be_ anymore vain?"

He watched as her head fell back. As her eyes widened. As her mouth went slack. She inhaled sharply and then reared back and let out the most agonizing scream he'd ever heard.

He quickly flattened his sensitive ears against the assault, and he growled deep in his chest. "What the hell, wench, stop! Stop!"

She drew in anther deep breath and did it again, taking two or three steps back away from the mirror.

He had to clamp his hands over his ears this time. Dammit, what the hell was she doing? She was going to call the humans back. "Shut up!" He yelled.

She obeyed. Her mouth snapped shut and her body went rigid, her eyes still wide as saucers. Her chest rose and fell; he could hear her breathing quickly through her nose.

"Wha-" She stuttered, "What's going on? What are you?"

Inuyasha barred his teeth. "Stop playing games, you stupid bitch."

Her mouth fell open. "I don't- I mean, I'm not…." She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was looking at. "What are you?" She repeated.

"I'm not playing along, Kikyou." He spat. "It's almost midnight, just get the stupid spell over with."

"Wha- what spell?"

He let out a roar then; felt it pour out of him. She made him so _mad_. The way she cowered gave him a little thrill. She was scared of him? Good. It was about damn time. "You know what spell. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not humoring you. Just get it over with." He frowned. "Where's the rest of your zombie posse, anyway? It's not like you to travel alone. Even to see little ol' me."

She shook her head again, her hair swishing around past her shoulders. He realized then why her hair was so different. It was shorter. "What the hell did you do to you hair?" He bit out. "It looks terrible!"

She jerked back as if she'd been slapped and her hand reached up to self-consciously touch her hair. "I- I've always had it this way!" She said, shaking her head again.

"Whatever," growled Inuyasha, "just get the spell done with, I'm bored of this conversation. Also, I hate you." He added for good measure.

His ears twitched when he heard the hysterical-like laughter bubble out of her. Her hands came up to cover her mouth as she continued to giggle into them.

"I get it!" She said, throwing her head back and laughing some more. "This is a dream. It has to be. I'm still tied up in the janitor's closet. Hiromi knocked me out after she threw me in and I'm still in there, dreaming." She started to pace back and forth in front of the mirror.

Inuyasha growled. "You're not dreaming."

"No?" She asked, turning on him. "What do you call this then?" She waved her hand over her head. "This is crazy. This is not real. You," she pointed a finger at him, "are not real."

He bared his teeth. "I'm as real as you bitch." He said. "I'm also as real as security coming back to see what all the commotion is about."

She whipped her head around to the stairs. "I don't hear anyone."

Inuyasha pointed to his ears. "Excellent hearing, but you knew that already."

Her eyes shot up to his ears, and she looked shocked all over again, as if she hadn't noticed them poking out from the top of his head the last million times she'd seen him.

"If this is a dream…" she said, "then they won't see me, or they'll leave me alone."

"Well," Inuyasha said, glairing down at her as he began to step back into his cell, "Just spell them to forget. It's not like you haven't done it before." And then he was all the way back, invisible once more.

"Wait!" Kikyou cried, pressing her hands against the glass again. "Where did you go? Where did you-?" She snapped her head around, finally hearing the guards approaching herself, and Inuyasha watched as she quickly hurried behind the mirror again.

"I'm tellin' you Shou," Inuyasha whipped his ears around to catch the guard's conversation. "It came from down here."

"Whatever man, you're just scaring yourself. No one is here."

"I heard it though. Two screams and a shout of rage."

"We'll let's look around and then get back to the desk. I've got my dinner on the way, I don't want to miss the delivery boy."

Inuyasha watched as they circled the room and came up empty. They left, the smaller one taking one last sweep with his flashlight, his eyes narrowed, before disappearing back up the steps.

"I don't get it," Inuyasha said, showing himself again. He leaned his forearm against the glass and waited for her to come out of her hiding spot. "Why didn't you just spell them?"

He heard a grunt as she emerged from behind the mirror. "I don't know what you're talking about, I can't 'spell' people, what do I look like, a witch?"

"You look like yourself, Kikyou." He rolled his eyes.

"You keep calling me that," Kikyou said, brushing dust off her shoulders and out of her hair, "but my name isn't Kikyou. It's Kagome."

His eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter what you call yourself now, you'll always be Kikyou to me, the evil little bitch who trapped me in here."

"I am not a bitch, and my name is not Kikyou. It's Kagome. Ka. Go. Me. You have me confused with someone else."

"I'd never confuse the face of the woman who ensnared me." He spat.

"Well you obviously have because I'm not her." She spat back.

"I hate you." He said.

Her eyebrows knotted together, and she walked right up to the glass, tilting her head back and glowering at him. "Listen up." She said. "I don't know who you are, and I don't know _what_ you think I've done, but I've never so much as laid eyes on you before. I've never been inside this museum and I've never trapped anybody! What I _have_ done is been jumped by a gang of girls, tied up, thrown into a closet and now I have a concussion or something, because that's the only reasonable explanation for what is happening to me!"

Inuyasha stared down at her as she finished her tirade. He'd gotten a good whiff of her half-way through and his mind had crawled almost to a stop.

What. The. Fuck.

That wasn't Kikyou. The girl looked like Kikyou. Her hair color was Kikyou's hair color and her skin was Kikyou's skin and her size and shape were all Kikyou's. But it wasn't her. She smelled wrong. This girl didn't smell like death and dirt and old bones. She smelled alive and flowery and _human_.

Holy shit, she'd been telling him the truth. This girl, this _Kagome_, as she called herself, wasn't Kikyou. He'd shown himself to a human.

"Fuck." He said.

"I _know_!" The girl named Kagome wailed. "And it's not even my fault!" She continued, unaware that Inuyasha had realized anything. "Hojou _liked_ me, he asked me out, he started it, if Hiromi should be mad at anyone it should be Hojou!"

"You're not her." Inuyasha growled.

"What?"

He watched her step back and realize that he wasn't talking about whatever stupid thing she'd been going on about.

"Oh, Kikyou. Yes, that's right, I'm not her. I'm Kagome."

"Fuck!" He said again.

Kagome frowned. "You sure curse a lot. It's not very polite."

But Inuyasha couldn't hear her. His heart was lodged in his throat. Adrenaline coursed through him. This was his chance. If he could just get this Kagome girl to draw him out of the damned mirror he'd be able to find a way out of his entrapment, sooner or later.

He tried to hide his grin. He knelt down so he could look the Kikyou-look-alike straight in the eyes. If he was going to be successful he'd have to do this right. "Kagome." He said, his voice softening. She took a half a step back, but her eyes locked on to his, and they didn't waver once. "I need you to help me."

Her back stiffened.

"I need you to get me out of here. I've been in here for a really long time, and the witch who trapped me here is coming soon. Can you help me?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Aren't you a youkai? The guide lady said that you tried to destroy the world three hundred years ago."

Inuyasha kept his face tightly controlled, even though what he really wanted to do was bare his teeth and let out a growl. "I'm not a youkai, I'm a hanyou." He said, keeping his voice soft. "I'm half youkai and half _human_. Like you."

Kagome leaned in close, her eyes wide again. "Why did this Kikyou girl trap you inside?"

He couldn't help the growl that made its way out this time. He had to give credit to Kagome though, she held her ground. "Does it matter?" He asked.

"Of course it does. You could kill me if I let you out."

He cocked his head to the side and smiled. He drew that smile out slowly, lazy-like, and stared right into her. "Kagome," he said, "I _could_ kill you, it's true. But this is a dream. And since this is _your_ dream, do you think I'd be more likely to kill you, or more likely to _kiss_ you?"

A slow blush crept up her neck and blossomed over her cheeks. Her eyes darted down, and then back to his again.

Inuyasha had played his cards right, and he knew it. Kagome was a romantic. Good, that would make things so much easier.

"Um," she said, a hint of shyness now in her voice. "What do I have to do?"

"You have to kiss me," he said, his voice so low she was forced to lean closer to him. "Press your lips against the mirror, Kagome."

She inhaled sharply, and he could smell the change in her. Smell the blood pumping quickly through her, the way her body warmed to him. She leaned in, her eyes stuck to his. Slowly, slowly, centimeter by centimeter she moved closer, her eyes closing as she pressed her lips against the mirror.

Inuyasha swallowed a shout of triumph as he quickly pressed his lips against hers on the other side of the mirror. At first all he felt was glass, cold and hard and unforgiving. And then her lips were on his, and he felt a tug, a soft, insistent pull against his body, navigating him out of his prison.

His head was free now, his shoulders, then his hands.

He had every intention of killing this girl. Every. Intention.

But her lips were velvety soft against him, hot and electrifying. She opened her mouth to him, inviting him in, and before he was aware of his actions, he took his clawed hands and buried them into her hair, wrapping his fingers around the soft strands and deepening the kiss as he stepped fully out of the mirror.

He pulled her flush to him, a growl rumbling in his throat. She let out a moan of her own.

Fuck, it felt so good to hold her. To touch her. He hadn't realized how much he'd longed for the feel of a woman. It had been three hundred years since he'd kissed anyone, and he was now determined to make up for it. He mumbled something, he didn't know what, he was too focused on her lips, on her tongue, on her breasts pressed up against him.

His hands left her hair and moved to her waist, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around him and he groaned against her, turning them around and pushing her back up against the mirror. He nipped at her tongue, at her lips. He trailed hot kisses down her chin, her throat, nipping at her soft flesh.

"Oh god," she breathed, and she bucked against him.

He growled again. She wanted it rough? He could give it to her rough. He found her mouth again and ground his hips against her. He felt himself straining against his clothing. He needed to get her naked and finally, _finally_ get the release he hadn't had in centuries.

_Then_ he could kill her.

He moved his hands to her shirt, ripped the flimsy clothing down the front and let out a little whine to see she had another smaller, tighter piece of clothing underneath. He moved to rip that one open too, but suddenly, he could _smell her_.

He dropped Kagome on her feet and turned around in a flash, his back to her, pressing her between himself and the mirror.

"_Kikyou_," he growled.

In a flicker of light and the barest hint of wind, she appeared. Looking as she always looked. Regal, priestessly, her nose up and her mouth tight. She was beautiful. And looking at her now, he wondered why he thought the other girl was her twin.

They looked damned alike, that was still true. But Kikyou had an air about her that the other girl just didn't possess.

"Well," Kikyou said, her voice like satin. The corners of her lips turned up into an icy smile. "What do we have here?"

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Please review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

Hope you guys enjoyed! See you in the next chapter.

~SugarRos


	4. Chapter 4: Kikyou's Spell

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: I love that you're still reading. Enjoy!

I would also like to thank anonymous reviewer Afan, for catching a bit of an inconsistency in chapter two. All fixed, and all is well in the Universe.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or it's characters. So sad.

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Chapter 4: Kikyou's Spell

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Kagome

He was a God.

At least, that was Kagome's first thought, after she finished screaming.

He was tall, with long, flowing silver-while hair, large golden eyes, and a powerful build. He wore only a hakama, his chiseled chest was bare, and two little, fluffy white ears sat atop his head.

Her second thought was she'd lost it. What the heck was going on? Gods didn't show themselves to humans. Only crazy people talked to Gods.

Then she'd remembered the museum guide's story. He wasn't a God, he was a _youkai_.

And that's when Kagome realized she was dreaming. Because if there was anything crazier than a God coming out of a mirror and talking to her, it was a youkai coming out of a mirror and talking to her.

It was a good thing she was dreaming, because otherwise she'd think she was going insane. Dreams she could deal with. Insanity was not an option for her.

Still, for a dream it felt so _real_. The youkai glared down at her from inside the mirror, pacing back and forth, growling, his arms flexing with power as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He'd called her _Kikyou_, and insisted she was trying to trick him in some way, pretending to be someone she wasn't.

He pushed at her nerves, calling her names, yelling at her. He'd actually told her he _hated_ her, and that's when she'd snapped.

_No one_ should hate her, she hadn't done anything wrong! And yet today everybody seemed to be blaming her for _everything_. Dream or no dream, she was sick of it.

Steeling her nerves, Kagome walked right up to the mirror, and tilted her hand back to look into his eyes. She knotted her brows together, giving him her best I'm-not-taking-anymore-crap face. And then she laid into him.

Oh, she gave it to him good. He wasn't getting away with it. Not like Hiromi had.

"-What I _have_ done, is been jumped by a gang of girls, tied up, and thrown into a closet! And now I have a concussion or something, because that's the only reasonable explanation for what is happening to me!" She finished her rant, breathing hard. If he hadn't been hiding behind all that glass she would have slugged him… maybe. He looked like he might be the kinda guy who slugged back.

That's when she'd noticed the change in his demeanor. Sometime during her speech his eyes had widened, like he was actually seeing _her_ for the first time.

"Fuck," he said.

Oh thank Gods, he understood! She was having the worst night of her life. "I _know_!" She cried, happy that he agreed her night had sucked. "And it's not even my fault! Hojou _liked_ me, he asked me out, and he started it! If Hiromi should be mad at anyone, it should be Hojou!"

"You're not her." The youkai said then.

Kagome snapped her eyes to his again. "What?" Then she realized, duh, he wasn't talking about her bad night. He'd finally figured out that she'd been telling the truth. She wasn't whoever this 'Kikyou' person was. That girl sounded horrid! Kagome was nice, everyone knew that. "Oh, Kikyou." She said. "Yes, that's right, I'm not her. I'm Kagome."

"Fuck!" He said again.

Was it really that bad of a thing? The youkai should have been _happy_ that she wasn't Kikyou. She frowned. "You sure curse a lot. It's not very polite." She watched as his demeanor changed from threatening to confused, then settling on something that looked like….

Confidence, she decided.

And it looked _really_ good on him.

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear any thoughts about him _that way_ from her mind. She liked Hojou, and she didn't want anything to ruin that. _Although technically,_ her brain nudged her, _this is a dream. And there's nothing wrong with dreaming about sexy youkai_. And sexy was the correct word for what the youkai was. Sexy hadn't had a meaning until she'd laid eyes on him.

Her musings were interrupted when he knelt down in the mirror. He was barefoot, and he placed his hands, each finger tipped with beautiful, strong, sharp nails, down next to his feet, sitting on his haunches. He seemed to relax all of a sudden. The anger that had radiated from every muscled inch of him was suddenly gone, dissipated like it had never been there in the first place.

"Kagome," he said, his voice low and soft. Like velvet. Or butter. The way he spoke her name rolled over her, and she felt her body clutch on the inside. She looked into his eyes, and they burned into her, molten gold. She couldn't look away. His eyes held her. "I need you to help me," he said.

A chill went up her spine, but Kagome couldn't tell if it was because he turned her on so much, or if her body was warning her.

He oozed danger, just as much as he oozed sex appeal.

This was probably the best dream Kagome had ever had in her entire life.

"I need you to get me out of here," he continued, in that beautifully rough voice of his. "I've been in here for a really long time, and the witch who trapped me here is coming soon. Can you help me?"

She was playing with fire, she knew. She could sense how powerful he was, even while she was dreaming. "Aren't you a youkai?" she asked, fully aware of how breathy her voice had become. "The guide lady said you tried to destroy the world three hundred years ago." She saw the muscle in his jaw clench.

"I'm not a youkai, I'm a hanyou. I'm half youkai and half _human_. Like you."

_Like me!_ Kagome's brain whispered. Whatever half he was, he was delicious. How had her subconscious conjured up such a creature? He was so beautiful. She felt trapped. Ensnared. Glued to his golden eyes. She leaned in closer to him. She couldn't help it. "Why did this Kikyou girl trap you inside?" She asked, willing herself not to get totally lost within those eyes.

He growled, and it was as terrifying as it was utterly alluring. She wanted to step back, but she held her ground, entranced.

"Does it matter?" He asked.

"Of course it does," she breathed. It didn't though, not really. "You could kill me if I let you out." She watched as his head cocked slowly to the side, and he smiled. It spread across his face slowly, as if he were deliberately making her wait for it.

"Kagome," he said, "I _could_ kill you, it's true. But this is a dream. And since this is _your_ dream, do you think I'd be more likely to kill you, or more likely to _kiss_ you?"

That was it. With those words he had her, and she knew it. She felt the blush spread across her face, felt her insides quiver deliciously. This _was_ a dream, dammit, and she wanted to enjoy it. She needed to know, on some primitive level, what it would be like to kiss him. Would it be like the kiss Hojou had given her? Would it be better? Kagome was a virgin, although she'd had a few boyfriends before. For some reason this dream-youkai… no, wait, dream-_hanyou…_ spoke to her inner lust like nothing else, dreaming or awake, ever had before.

"Um," she said, fully aware that she was shaking for _need_ of him. "What do I have to do?"

He dropped his voice, forcing her to lean closer to him. "Press your lips against the mirror, Kagome." It was a demand, spoken in velvet. One she would follow no matter what.

She moved towards him, her hands on the glass to steady herself. His golden eyes held her as she leaned in, closer and closer, until finally, her eyes closed and she pressed her lips against the mirror.

The glass was cold and hard, but she kept them there, hoping that something would happen; that this God-like hanyou creature would show her what kissing was _really_ supposed to be like.

His lips were on hers then. One moment there was glass, and the next, there was _him_, and instantly she felt heat spread through her. Eyes closed, afraid that he would disappear if she opened them, she parted to lips to invite him in.

What could happen to her, after all, in a dream?

And he took her invitation, wrapping his hands in her hair, pulling her to him, pressing up flush against her. He deepened the kiss, and it was electrifying. She felt like her world had opened up, had expanded to overwhelm her in new sensations. She had kissed boys before, but she had never been _kissed_ by boys before. Not like this. The hanyou kissed her like she was his lifeline, as if he couldn't get enough, and she felt the same. She would die if he stopped.

Her growled then, into her lips. She felt it rumble from deep inside his chest and she answered him in her own way, letting him know that in her dream, in this fantasy she was having, she wanted him to do all the things to her that she'd read about in romance novels and seen in movies, but had yet to find in anyone.

Even Hojou.

He mumbled something then, something she couldn't quite make out, and he lifted her by her waist and she took his cue and wrapped her legs around his hips. He was _strong_. She felt feather-light in his arms. He had no problem turning her around and pressing her against the mirror

He nipped at her. Playing with her with his kisses, biting and tugging at her lower lip. Kagome didn't know what came over her. She was unbidden, unhinged. The hanyou trailed heated kisses down her chin, her throat, finding places to kiss and nip that made her insides melt.

"Oh God," she said, and she ground her hips against him, shuddering, inhaling sharply at the intense shot of arousal it created.

She'd heard of wet dreams before, but she'd never had them.

They were _awesome_.

He growled again, and it awoke something in her. When he found her lips this time he crushed against her. It was intense, needy, _rough_. She felt him against her, their clothes in the way. _Too many clothes_, she thought, almost in a panic. This dream could end any moment and she didn't want to wake up before she got what her body was crying out for.

He moved his lips from hers then, and she whimpered at the loss of him, but his eyes were on fire now. He tore her shirt open, revealing the tank-top underneath. He reached for that too, and Kagome, who had never before in her life scratched the surface on arousal such as this, _wanted_ him to.

But he didn't tear her tank-top. He froze instead, and quicker than she'd seen anyone move in her life, he dropped her lightly on her feet and spun.

Kagome blinked at the toned muscles of his back, watching them tighten. What the heck happened? He still had her pressed up against the mirror.

"_Kikyou,_" he growled.

And then she was there. It was crazy. Kikyou appeared almost like the hanyou had appeared, but not, because there was nothing there for her to appear _in_. One moment nothing was there, and the next moment _she was_.

_My imagination is in top form_, Kagome thought. Was everyone in her dream going to be so utterly beautiful? She felt bland in comparison. How had the hanyou confused her with this woman?

Kikyou was regal. She was otherworldly. Tall and thin, with long, flowing black-as-night hair and deep, dark blue eyes that seemed to shimmer as she looked Kagome and the hanyou over.

"Well," she said, as her red lips pulled into the barest hint of a smile. "What do we have here?"

Kagome should be cowering, she knew. She should look away. There was something not right about the woman in front of her, floating in the air. But just like her gaze had been glued to the hanyou, she could not bring herself to look away from Kikyou.

Kikyou turned her attention to the hanyou. "Who is this girl, Inuyasha?" She asked. "How did you get her to set you free?"

The hanyou, Inuyasha – _what a strange name_, Kagome thought – growled, and he pressed Kagome back into the mirror a little bit more. She had to crane her neck to look around his arm, so she could keep looking at Kikyou.

"She's no one of importance." He said.

"She doesn't look like no one of importance." And with that, Kikyou snapped her fingers, and Kagome felt a soft _pull_ focused around her chest, and before she knew it, she'd stepped from behind Inuyasha's back and was now standing right in front of the priestess.

"I'll ask you again, Inuyaha," Kikyo said, keeping her eyes on Kagome. She felt like an insect under a microscope. "How did you get her to set you free?"

Kagome couldn't see him, couldn't tear her gaze from Kikyou, but she heard the shrug in his voice, the nonchalance that took residence in his words. "She was just there, bitch. I got lucky, that's all."

"Lucky. Hmm."

This dream had gone from awesome to horrible in two seconds flat. Other than having no idea what the two were talking about, she didn't like not having control of her body, not this way. This wasn't the unnerving lack of control she'd had when Inuyasha was kissing her. This was the unnerving lack of control of not being able to move her arms and legs by herself.

"It doesn't matter," Kikyou replied, waving her hand. She sounded bored, like Kagome being there was of no importance. "Midnight is upon us. I must weave the spell." Her eyes moved from Kagome then, and Kagome felt her body turn so she too could see Inuyasha. She watched as he bared his teeth, eyes darting from Kikyou to Kagome and then back to Kikyou again, before he turned and took a step into the mirror.

He froze, turned his head, and looked Kikyou square in the eye. "Don't hurt her, Kikyou," he said, and Kagome felt another chill go up her spine. He was deadly, she saw it in his eyes. "She's just a girl, she doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Inside the mirror, Inuyasha," Kikyou insisted, and with one hesitant look back at Kagome, he obeyed.

Something about his eyes, something about his body language, made Kagome's heart break. It was like he was a broken puppy, going back into his cage. When the mirror had again enveloped him, Inuyasha turned, leaned his forearm against the glass and locked his eyes onto hers.

"Hold her." Kikyou said, and with the smallest gust of wind, a man appeared behind Kagome. She couldn't see him, but his hands wrapped around her arms, holding her in place. She didn't understand what for, it wasn't like she had control of her body anyway.

The priestess started to chant then, and the stagnant air around them kicked up and brushed against them, whipping Kagome's hair into her face. The language was one Kagome was not familiar with, and as she spoke, the frame around the mirror glowed, the etched letters and symbols pulled away from the mirror, and then slowly, as the wind died down, pushed back into their place.

Inuyasha didn't look like he was in trouble. He didn't look like he was in pain from the spell. Mostly, he just looked bored. Kagome wondered what the spell did, other than keep him locked inside.

Kikyou's feet touched the ground then, and she walked slowly up to the mirror, putting her hand against the glass.

"I cannot let you out, Inuyasha. You know I cannot allow you to escape."

"I know," he bit out, eyebrows drawn together in anger.

"You hate me," she said. Kagome noted a hint of sadness in her voice.

Inuyasha didn't speak for a moment, then he sighed. "I do," he said. "You're not the woman I fell in love with."

"You're right, I'm not," she agreed, her hand steady on the glass. "You had a choice and you chose wrong. For the sake of the world, for the sake of humanity, I had to do what I had to do."

"And look at you now," he said, bitterness seeping into his words. "You're an abomination. You should not be alive. Yet here you are, with growing power. It spills over the brim. You're enjoying it far too much."

She laughed then, unfeeling and cold. "You're right Inuyasha, I do enjoy it," she said. "And now that you've found my doppelganger, I will be enjoying my power for many, many more years."

Kagome saw his eyes widen. He stiffened, his back locking upright into place. "Wait. Kikyou wait!" He shouted. His gaze was fearful now as they locked onto her. She felt her stomach drop as Kikyou turned and made her way towards her. She stopped a few feet away, ignoring Inuyasha's demands to leave her alone, ignoring his pounding on the glass. She looked down at Kagome, reached out a hand and gripped her below the chin.

"Don't worry," she said. "It will only hurt for a few seconds. I promise." Then her eyes darted up to the man holding onto her arms. "It's above her right hip. Rip it out of her."

And before Kagome could ask what she meant, the man whipped her around, and she saw a blur of black hair and deep purple cloth before a pain so intense she cried out slammed into her.

She looked down, stunned, as blood pooled around the wound in her side. She looked up at the man, his handsome face unsmiling. In his bandaged hand he held a pink, shimmering jewel, perfectly round and about the size of a glass eyeball.

"What…?" She managed to get out, before Kikyou started to chant again, and the jewel rose into the air, high above her head, and a screeching noise, like claws on a chalkboard, ripped through Kagome. The jewel shattered into pieces and disappeared.

"It's done," Kikyou said. But Kagome was as confused as ever. What the hell was that jewel, and why the hell had it been _inside_ her?

Kikyou turned to her again, her smile soft this time. "Poor little human, getting caught up in this mess. Do not worry child, I will weave a spell so that you will forget. Be at peace."

Terrified now, Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, the hanyou in the mirror, but he wasn't shouting anymore, he wasn't pounding against the glass. He looked defeated. His golden eyes were the last thing she saw as she slipped into unconsciousness.

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.o0o0o0o.

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Ah, another longish chapter. I'd like to point out how sorry I am that I keep backtracking a bit in each chapter, but it's necessary. I hope you guys enjoyed!

Also, please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	5. Chapter 5: Kagome's Memory

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's note: Good to see you again. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 5: Kagome's Memory

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Kagome

"_Kagome_!"

Kagome's eyes flew open.

Her head hurt. Her body hurt. And she was freezing. The sky was a light violet color, a touch of the night making way for the sunrise. Sango filled her line of sight, her worried eyes darting over her as if she wasn't sure if her friend was alive or not.

"Kagome, can you hear me? Are you okay?" She felt Sango's hands grip onto her arms and give her a shake.

"Um… I'm fine…" Kagome said, her voice a bit hoarse. "...Where am I?" She asked. The last thing she remembered… The last thing…

"You're outside. Kagome, how the hell did you get out here? The museum hasn't even opened yet. And why are you sleeping on a bench?"

Kagome sat up slowly from the makeshift bed and tried to think back. The last thing she remembered was breaking out of the closet. She remembered walking through the cave in the museum, then hiding from security, and then…. Then what?

"Um…" She said again, trying to clear the sluggishness from her brain. She felt like she had a hangover, like she'd drank too much beer at a house party. "I don't know, I was hiding from the guards, and then-"

"Well, what happened to your shirt?" Sango asked, holding the ripped piece of clothing in her hands. She bunched it up in her fist. "Did _Hiromi_ do this to you?"

Kagome hadn't thought that at first, but once Sango suggested it, she realized it must be true. Hiromi had ripped her shirt open while she was being tied up, before she'd been thrown in the closet. That's exactly what had happened, she was sure of it now.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her eyes against the palms of her hands. _Why_ was her brain so sluggish? "Yeah, it was Hiromi."

Sango sighed, shaking her head. "I'm going to kill her, I swear." She helped Kagome to her feet. "You okay? You look like you're frozen solid."

Kagome nodded slowly. Her head ached, and there was a sharp pain in her side, like something was stabbing into her. She looked down quickly, felt around the area right above her hip, but nothing was amiss. Something must have been digging into her side as she slept.

"Let's get back to my place, it's closer." Sango said. "I covered for you with your mom, told her you spent the night. You can borrow my clothes."

"Okay," Kagome said, willing to let Sango take control. She felt off some how, like a part of her was being left behind on that bench she'd slept on.

_Why_ couldn't she remember what had happened? She ran and hid from the guard…. She hid from the guard and then….

_Something_ must have happened. Maybe they found her. Maybe the guards found her hiding spot and threw her outside.

Once Kagome thought it, she realized that it was true. The guards _did_ find her and they _did_ throw her outside. And she must have been so tired that she just fell asleep on the closest bed-like structure around.

Once she realized these facts, she wondered how she could have forgotten them in the first place.

"Come on Kagome, we have to clean you up for school. We don't want Hiromi to come back and see you like this. You look a mess." Sango said, leading the way.

Kagome trailed behind, letting Sango take control as she solidified the night's events in her head.

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Kagome felt a bit better by mid-day. Her body didn't ache so badly, except for that one insistent spot above her hip, and her head wasn't throbbing so much, although her brain still felt a bit foggy. Sango had been an awesome best friend as always, loaning Kagome some of her clothes and letting her use her makeup, although she had a distinct lack of lighter eye shadow shades. Kagome opted for the simple use of eyeliner and mascara. She felt almost like herself.

Almost.

History class had been awkward. Kagome kept her head low and ignored Hiromi and her friends, who luckily sat on the other side of the room. But while she could avoid Hiromi easily enough, she could not avoid Itou-sensei. He pulled her aside after class.

"Higurashi-san," he said, his serious eyes shaming her good. "How could you skip out of the field trip like that?"

"I'm – I'm very sorry Itou-sensei. I was in the bathroom for a while, and then…" Kagome let her words hang, hating herself for lying to him. "I didn't feel so well. Feminine issues. I went home."

He looked down at her from behind his reading glasses and a small smile spread across his face. "I like you, Higurashi-san. I know that history is not your favorite subject, but you do try hard, and you're very studious." He stood up and walked behind his teaching desk. "Some girls from class told me that you snuck off to see Hojou-san, but I spoke to him, and I'm happy to hear that your story is consistent with his."

Kagome felt a wave of relief wash over her. Thank goodness Hojou hadn't lied for her. She would have been done for.

"So now let's talk about your punishment," he continued.

"My punishment?" She asked. Shoot, and she thought she'd gotten off scot-free.

"I want you to do a paper on one of the artifacts we saw yesterday. You can pick any item the guide discussed with the class. I need 5,000 words due next week. Can you do it?"

Kagome nodded. As long as she was forgiven. She shifted nervously in front of his desk. "I know which one I want to do it on."

"Already? That was quick. Which one?"

"The one with the Legend about the Youkai in the Mirror. With the priestess. I'd like to do that one,"

Itou-sensei sat down in his chair, leaning back, curiosity shining in his eyes. "Really? Why that one?"

Kagome shrugged. She wasn't too sure herself, except that mirror, for some reason, stuck out in her mind as being important. "I'm not sure, exactly. I think… I think I had a dream about it." She finally said, trying to clear her way through her cloudy thoughts. "There's something about it, I just… feel drawn to it, I guess."

The smile retuned to Itou-sensei's face. "There's hope for you and history yet, Higurashi-san." He paused, then: "Okay, off to lunch with you. And Higurashi," he said as she turned to leave. "Next time, let me know what's going on. Feminine issues or not."

"Yes sir!" She said, smiling, and hurried out of the room before he laid another extra-credit assignment on her. Sango was waiting for her in the cafeteria, and after inching her way through the lunch line, she sat down next to her best friend.

"Was he super pissed?" Sango asked, taking a bite of her pizza.

"Not really." Kagome said, smiling a little. "I mean, he wasn't happy, but he's making me to an extra paper about that mirror we saw in the museum yesterday to make up for it."

"The one with the legend about spells and witches and whatnot?"

"She was a priestess, not a witch," She corrected.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Whatever. At least he gave you something interesting to work on, that mirror was kind of cool, and there was something about it. It was hard to look away, you know?"

Kagome nodded as she opened a catsup packet and poured it over her fries. Sango raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"I thought you were on a diet."

She waved her friend's words away with her hand. "I was, but now that Hojou has asked me out, _officially_, I can go back to enjoying french fries and mashed potatoes." She grinned wickedly and popped one of the delicious fries in her mouth.

Sango shook her head. "Don't blame me when he dumps you for getting pudgy."

"Worry about your own weight." Kagome said, sticking her tongue out. "And speaking of Hojou," she licked some catsup off her finger, changing the subject, "Itou-sensei asked him if I snuck off to meet him like Hiromi said. Saved my butt when our stories matched up."

Her friend narrowed her eyes. "You didn't tell him what really happened? With Hiromi?"

She shook her head. "No way. What's Itou-sensei going to do, give her a rap on the back of her hand? No, we have to plot our revenge on Hiromi ourselves."

Sango grinned. "I like the sound of that." Her eyes flicked up and to the left of Kagome then. "Incoming," she muttered, and from the way she smiled, Kagome could tell that it was Hojou walking their way.

"Hey girls." Hojou said, his usual cheery self as he plopped down next to Kagome. "Hey you," he said, just to her, his voice dropping.

"Hi." She replied. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face, remembering their first date two nights ago.

"So about that text you sent me…" He said, propping his elbow on the table, and his head in his hand.

Kagome's face immediately drained of color. How could she have forgotten that horrible text Hiromi sent from her phone! She opened her mouth, hoping a plausible excuse would bubble somewhat coherently out of her.

"Oh, Kagome didn't tell you?" Sango swooped in, saving the day as usual. "Hiromi paid her a little visit yesterday in the museum."

He tilted his head, glancing from her to Sango, and back to her again.

"Tell him," Sango urged.

Kagome nodded. "Hiromi and her friends caught up to me in the bathroom last night. They-"

"They _tied her up and threw her in janitor's closet_!" Sango hissed, interrupting her. "But not before sending you that hate-text," she added. "She was stuck in that damn museum all night!"

Hojou's eyebrows shot up. He whistled. "You're kidding." He turned his gaze onto Kagome's eyes, and she wished with all her might that he'd believe her. "Are you okay?" He asked, eyes worried. "I thought that text was pretty out of left-field. It didn't sound like you, which is why I didn't reply."

Kagome shrugged. "It wasn't that big of a deal, Hojou," she said, nervously fidgeting with her hair. "I mean, everyone knows that Hiromi has a thing for you, I just didn't know she was crazy enough to do something so extreme. I've never been bullied like that before."

His hand shot out and grabbed onto Kagome's then. He squeezed her fingers together. "I am so sorry she did that to you. I've been trying to ignore her advances, but she's taken things too far." He absentmindedly brushed her hair out of her eyes. A grin spread across his face. "I know how to handle it."

"How?" Sango asked, leaning in and eager to be a part of it.

Hojou leaned in and gave Kagome a kiss – a light one, just a peck on the lips – before standing up from the lunch table. "Can you meet me out front after school?" He asked. At Kagome's nod, he ruffled her hair affectionately. "I had fun on our date, Kagome, try not to let Hiromi get you down. Can't wait to hang out tonight. See you after school." With that, the girls watched Hojou walk back to his seat at his regular lunch table with his friends.

"God, he's nice." Sango said. "Seriously Kagome, you picked a good one. Handsome, caring, and apparently, he doesn't do much for high school drama. He's a keeper."

"Mmhmm," Kagome said, agreeing on the surface. What she didn't say was that something was different about Hojou this time. She hadn't felt that same, giddy excitement when he'd kissed her as she had before. She squirmed in her seat, feeling out of sorts and uneasy. "What do you think he's going to do after school?"

Sango shrugged. "Whatever it is, I don't want to miss it." She threw a wink her best friend's way.

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Math was the last class of the day, and it was _horrid_. Between math being her absolute worst subject, and Hiromi glaring daggers at the back of her head the whole time, Kagome couldn't take much more. The relief that washed over her when the final bell rang was almost staggering. She didn't hang around to chat with her classmates like she usually did. She made her way straight to her locker, grabbing what she needed to complete her homework for the night, and then booked it to meet Hojou.

She hadn't made it outside yet when she realized that Hiromi and her gang of friends were following her.

Just perfect.

Kagome burst through the double doors of the school building, willing herself not to run. She would _not_ show her fear to these girls. Once they smelled fear, she'd be done for. She forced herself to keep her pace even as she made her way to the meeting place.

He wasn't there when she arrived of course. Disheartened, Kagome turned on her heel to face the oncoming storm.

Hiromi and her friends stopped a few feet away.

This moment felt so surreal to Kagome. She'd always been a big advocate against bullying. She had no problem sticking up for girls who were victims. But she had never been bullied herself. People were gathering, interested in the scene about to take place. Not one person looked to step up at help her out. Hojou was nowhere in sight. Neither was Sango. It was one thing to stand up and shame bullies who were picking on someone else. It was another thing entirely to stand up for yourself. Kagome steeled her resolve and locked her eyes onto Hiromi.

"How'd you get out, Higurashi?" Hiromi asked, lips pulled back into that same stupid sneer.

She tried to relax her posture, to give out a calm, nonchalant vibe. "Did you think tying me up and throwing me into a closet would hold me?"

The insults came then, calling her out on her virtue in every way possible. Kagome clenched her jaw against slinging insults back. She didn't want to escalate anything. She stood stalk-still as Hiromi's friends surround her, cut her off from the bystanders. Hiromi stepped closer. Then took another step. Kagome forced herself to stand still, to not take a step back.

"I'm going to ruin that pretty face of yours, Higurashi," Hiromi said, taking another step. "That way Hojou will want to vomit every time he looks at you."

Kagome had no formal training when it came to fighting. The last time she'd punched somebody was in first grade, and she'd been so scared she cried afterwards. Still, her hands fisted at her sides, read to give as good as she got.

Hojou had the best timing in the whole world, because that's the moment he stepped through the crowd and moved to Kagome's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her to him. "Hey Hiromi," he said, his voice cheery as usual. "What's going on?"

Hiromi froze, her eyes narrowing as they darted between Hojou and Kagome. "Hojou," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet, "I know that you _think_ this girl is who you want to be with, but-"

"There's no thinking about it," Hojou cut her off, never dropping his smile. "Kagome and I are dating. We're a couple." He raised his voice. "I hope no one has a problem with that, as it's no one's business who Kagome and I decided to see."

Kagome looked up at his handsome features then, blinking against the threat of tears. Sango had been right. Hojou was pretty amazing. You didn't find good guys like him every day. Kagome Higurashi was lucky.

"You- you can't-" Hiromi stuttered. "You can't possibly like Kagome."

His grin widened then, and looked down at Kagome, flashing a wink. "I guess I'll just have to prove it." He said. And before Kagome could form an idea of what he was up to, Hojou turned her in his arms and kissed her.

This kiss was deep, not the playful kiss he planted on her earlier at lunch. His tongue swept inside her mouth and Kagome prepared to melt into him like she had on their first date.

…She waited, as the kiss continued. His lips were soft and his mouth was warm and he smelled good. But again, she had this nagging sensation, like it suddenly wasn't good enough. Like now his kisses were boring and insignificant.

He broke free and grinned at her again, touching their noses together. Hiromi and her friends had long since gone, the crowd had dispersed. And all Kagome could think about was that something had changed.

For some reason, Hojou was not good enough anymore.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	6. Chapter 6: Revival

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: The inspiration is flowing nicely. Enjoy the chapter everyone.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or it's characters. So sad.

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Chapter 6: Revival.

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Kagome

Kagome rubbed her hands together to ward off the cold. The seasons were changing, and while it hadn't quite reached full-blown-fall yet, the mornings and afternoons were getting colder. She blew a warm breath of air into her cupped fingers, and then rubbed them together again, as if her breath would seep into the appendages.

Sango was late.

Of course, technically, it was Kagome's fault. She'd had all week to research and put together her extra-credit assignment that Itou-sensei had given her. But had she been a studious little girl and gone to the museum ahead of time to do her research? No. She'd spent her week hanging out with Sango, doing her regular homework, and dating Hojou. She'd had a normal, fun week. And now she was paying the price.

She didn't know what had gotten into her. Normally Kagome would have easily scheduled in a few research trips to the museum. She knew better than to put off homework for manicures with Sango, or a movie with Hojou, but for some reason, every time she'd even _thought_ about going to the museum she'd felt panic so intense it sought to overwhelm her. It was like that time she'd had to stand up in front of her entire school body and give a speech for a scholarship competition, where her nerves seemed to get the better of her. But she couldn't figure out why the museum made her so uneasy.

That's why Kagome was now standing out in the chilly weather, waiting for Sango. She'd had to beg her best friend to join her on her trip to the museum. She just couldn't go alone, and no, she couldn't tell her why, and yes, she knew it was ridiculous. Kagome had begged with Sango until she'd finally given in. And now it was Wednesday evening and it was thirty minuets to closing and if Kagome had any chance of ever getting her assignment done, this was it.

"Kagome!"

She turned her head and scanned the street. Sango was running up the block, her hand waving over her head. She bent over, hands on her knees as she came to stand next to Kagome, breathing heavily.

"Sango, you're late!" Kagome snapped, the nerves in her stomach felt like they were hurling themselves around her insides.

"Sorry, sorry," Sango breathed, finally straightening up and smiling. "Mom wouldn't let me out until I helped Kohaku with the rest of his homework. I tried to get here as fast as possible."

"Doesn't matter, let's go." Kagome said, hooking her arm through Sango's and pulling her towards the museum. She'd decided while she'd been waiting that she was going to just march right into the museum without stopping. If she stopped she feared she'd turn right on her heel and run in the opposite direction until her legs gave out, even if she had no idea why.

"Kagome, you've been acting strange all week. Why are you so uptight about this museum trip? It wasn't _that_ bad inside."

She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm nervous because of what Hiromi did…?" She paused, shaking her head. "That doesn't feel quite right though. I'm not sure why this makes me so uncomfortable."

"Well, let's change the subject. How was the date?"

Kagome swallowed a grimace and forced a smile onto her face. "It was fun. You know, movie, dinner, typical date stuff."

"And the kissing, of course."

Of course. Of course there had been kissing. Hojou had snuck her up to his bedroom and they'd kissed on his bed, then on his floor, and then on his bed again. Every time he'd kissed her, Kagome had tried to feel _something_ like she'd felt before. She vividly remembered enjoying his kisses so much on their first date – it was such a strange experience to suddenly feel nothing, like a door had slammed shut with no warning. In a near-panic about it, she'd even turned to the internet, hoping Google could give her insight on what was happening to her.

Nope. She was the only person on the entire _internet_ having this problem.

Still, she'd kept kissing him anyway, hoping that the next kiss would be the one to move her somehow. Then the next one…. Then the next…."

"Yeah, there was kissing," she finally agreed.

"Well, don't go into details or anything," Sango rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"I don't know, Sango," Kagome said as they made their way up the museum steps, focusing on the conversation to avoid focusing on where she was headed. "It was nice."

Being her best friend, Sango knew when to drop it, although the set of her jaw told Kagome she wasn't going to get away with skipping on the details forever.

They reached the entrance to the museum and paid their way in, where the ticketing attendant informed them they only had twenty minuets. Quickly, they booked it towards the cave section of the museum.

The panic in her chest tried to suffocate her. She gripped onto Sango's hand, terrified for some reason she'd couldn't understand. Her brain screamed at her to run – _Run!_ – even though common sense told her there was nothing down there to be afraid of.

"Kagome, my hand." Sango muttered, forcing Kagome to ease up a little on her grip.

"Sorry."

"You've been so weird lately, I hope it's just a hormonal thing."

Was that it? Was she on some kind of elongated PMS trip? She didn't think so, her rollercoaster of emotions were extreme – even for PMS.

They made their way through the cave, stopping in front of the mirror. It loomed over them, dark and beautiful. Kagome stood in front of it, the panic basically choking her. It reached a crescendo as she stepped forward – and then was abruptly gone.

One second she felt she might suffocate and die, and the next, she was suddenly.

"Huh." Kagome said, suddenly feeling like herself.

"What now?" Sango said, not bothering to look her way. She was bent over, leaning in to get a better look at the intricate frame.

"Nothing, I just…" She felt like she was going crazy. She'd never had sever mood swings before. She sighed, took a step back to look the mirror up and down. That familiar pull blossomed inside of her, the one she'd felt while she and Sango had been here on their class trip. She itched to touch the mirror, itched to feel the cool glass beneath her fingertips. She glanced around the room. The last of the visitors were just now shuffling towards the exit.

"Sango, do me a favor and keep a lookout?"

Sango raised her eyebrow, turning to face her. "What are you going to do now?" She asked.

"I just… I just need to touch it."

"Kagome, we're in a museum, you're not supposed to touch anything."

"When has that ever stopped you before?"

The slow grin that spread across her best friend's face was contagious. "You know me too well," Sango said, moving towards the steps. "Hurry up though," she called over her shoulder, "they're closing in a few minuets."

Finding the coast clear, Kagome turned her attention back to the mirror. She stepped over the ropes and slowly, gently touched her fingertips against the glass. The mirror was cool and hard under her hand, tinted darker than other mirrors. Kagome gazed at her reflection, trying to see past it somehow, as if there were a whole other world on the other side, like Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass.

Her eyes shot down to her hand, her palm now pressed firmly against the mirror. She could have sworn she'd seen movement. Another hand, specifically, out of the corner of her eye. It was only for an instant, a flash, like someone had reached out quickly and then withdrew, but there was nothing there.

Suddenly, without warning, her memories slammed back into her. They hit her like a train, exploding inside her mind. She cried out and reared back, tripping over the velvet rope and falling to the floor, her head throbbing with the abrupt presence of true awareness.

Sango was on her in an instant, hands cupping her face. "Kagome, what is it? Are you okay? Kagome! I'm getting help." She moved to leave, but Kagome's hand shot out to wrap around her wrist.

"No," she panted, trying desperately to process the sudden mass of new information. "No, I'm okay, I…" she struggled to sit up, and Sango knelt down again to assist her.

"What happened? I've never heard anyone make a noise like that."

Kagome remembered, that's what happened. Kikyou, the mirror, Inuyasha, _the kiss_. And suddenly she knew why she'd felt nothing when Hojou kissed her now. Because his kisses had been absolutely nothing like the way Inuyasha had kissed her. She stared, open-mouthed at the mirror. The hanyou hadn't shown himself, but she knew he was in there, watching her from the other side of the glass.

"I _remember_," Kagome breathed. She stood up. "Sango, I remember what happened after Hiromi attacked me."

"Yeah, the guards found you and threw you outside."

She shook her head. "No they didn't. Do you trust me?" She asked, locking her gaze onto her friend.

"What kind of question is that?"

"_Sango_. Do you trust me?" Kagome repeated.

Sango narrowed her eyes, as if trying to figure Kagome out. Finally, she relented. "You know I trust you," she said.

"Good. Cause you're going to really need that trust right now. Come with me." With one last, knowing glance back at the mirror, Kagome pulled Sango along behind her. They walked quickly towards the back of the room, to where the long, narrow, empty hallway stood. She didn't stop until they reached the janitor's closet.

"Is this it?" Sango asked. "This is where they left you?"

Kagome nodded, buzzing with adrenaline. "It's a good thing you love me so much, Sango. Cause it's going to be a tight fit."

Confusion flittered across her face, then dawning realization. "You're not serious."

Kagome grinned. "Trust me, Sango, you're going to want to see this." And with that, she yanked the closet door open and pushed her friend inside, stepping in behind her and slamming the door shut, engulfing them in darkness.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Sorry for the shorter chapter this time around, but it would have been too long otherwise. I hope you enjoyed!

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	7. Chapter 7: In The Dead Of Night

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Another exciting chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 7: In the Dead of Night.

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Kagome

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever let you talk me into," Sango said, shooting a heated glare Kagome's way.

At least, Kagome _thought_ Sango was glairing. She couldn't tell because it was pitch black inside the closet. Kagome had felt crammed last time she had been in the small room, and with Sango, it was ten times worse.

"Just trust me." Kagome muttered.

"Yeah, you've said 'just trust me' over a hundred times in the last hour, Kagome. But you won't tell me what I'm supposed to trust you _with_. And now we're stuck in the museum. All night."

Kagome rolled her eyes, even though Sango couldn't see her. "The point _is_ to get stuck." She felt kind of bad, not telling Sango why they were hiding in the closet, but if she spilled, Sango probably wouldn't believe her… scratch that – Sango _absolutely_ wouldn't believe her.

Kagome still couldn't quite wrap her head around it herself. It was like she had two memories in her head – one where she hadn't known Inuyasha existed, and the other where she'd known all along. And why did it take her touching the mirror again for all those memories to come back? Her knees shook when she remembered Kikyou appearing out of nowhere, forcing Inuyasha back into the mirror, and then commanding her minion to rip that weird marble out of her insides… She had obviously stumbled upon something dangerous… _really_ dangerous.

But Kagome was never one to back down when she'd been wronged, and it pissed her off that Kikyou had erased her memories. Who was she to decide what Kagome could or could not remember? She felt violated, which made her _angry_. Plus, now she'd uncovered a three-hundred-year-old legend. She had about a million questions and she wanted answers, and she was determined to get those answers from the hanyou tonight.

Like, for instance, what was up with that _kiss_? Thinking of that kiss made her knees shake for a completely different reason, and the more she thought about it, the more irate she became. How _dare_ some god-like hanyou stroll in and kiss her in such a way so that perfectly acceptable, normal kisses just weren't good enough anymore? She'd been fine with Hojou's kisses before, and Inuyasha had ruined that for her. She was determined to get him to fix it. She didn't know how she would make him do it, but she would.

"Check the time again?" Kagome asked, and Sango whipped out her phone and flipped it open.

"We've been in here for an hour and a half. Can we leave? This is not my idea of fun on a school night."

"It should be okay now, everyone should be gone." Kagome answered. She reached out for the door handle, fumbling a bit in the dark, before grasping it in her hand and opening the door.

It was just as she remembered from a week ago as she and Sango made their way back into the cavern. Half the torches extinguished, casting extreme shadows everywhere she looked. She felt nervous again, although it wasn't the same panicked feeling as before. These nerves were subtle, they felt real. _Will he be the same_? She wondered as she led the way to the mirror. Part of her, the realist part, still scrambled to shake this whole thing off as just a crazy dream,

"So what now?" Sango asked, rubbing her arms against the chill. "This is creepy, what did you want me to see?"

Hesitantly, Kagome stepped forwards, closer to the mirror. "Inuyasha?" She called out softly. There was a quiver in her voice. "Inuyasha, are you there?"

"Kagome…" Sango said, shaking her head. "You've totally lost it. You're talking to a mirror. I think we need to-"

"It's about damn time you decided to show up." Inuyasha growled, appearing from the darkness of the glass and cutting Sango off. "What the fuck took you so long? Do you have any idea what it's like to be locked up in here?"

"What the _hell_!" Sango cried, but Kagome wasn't listening.

How could she have possibly forgotten about him? It was as if he took up every corner of her mind, every thought process. He wore the same clothes – _or lack there of_, she thought – those same ears twitched atop his head as his eyes locked onto hers, heated and angry.

"Kagome, what the _hell_?!" Sango repeated, grabbing onto her arm, just as Inuyasha said: "Stop fucking staring at me, wench. What took you so damn long?"

"I forgot…" Kagome said, then cleared her throat and tried again. "I forgot about you. I forgot about everything. Why did I forget?" She absent-mindedly brushed Sango's hand from her shoulder.

The hanyou snarled, his lips pulled back from his teeth. "The witch made you forget, obviously. She probably threw something in that spell to keep you away from here also."

She nodded. "I felt sick with nerves any time I even thought about the museum."

"Makes sense," he grunted. "But still, what's it been, a week?"

"Five days."

His eyes shifted and narrowed, as if he were doing calculations in his head.

"_Kagome_," Sango took advantage of the silence. "What the _hell_ _is going on_?" She pulled at Kagome's arm, forcing her to face her. Sango's eyes were wide, her mouth open, and she was shaking slightly. Kagome suddenly felt like a horrible friend, dragging her along without explaining anything.

"Sango, this is Inuyasha. Remember that story the guide told us?"

"This is him?" She asked, her voice raising an octave higher than it normally did. "This is the three-hundred-year-old youkai trapped in the mirror." It came out like a statement. "A youkai." She stared Kagome down. "Trapped in a mirror." She added when Kagome didn't reply. "By _magic_."

"I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"Hard to believe!" Sango barked out a sharp laugh. "This is impossible! This isn't happening! I'm dreaming."

"I thought that at first too, but I-"

"Oi, wench!" Inuyasha interrupted from the mirror. "You need to let me out again."

Kagome whipped back to face the hanyou. Explaining things to Sango would just have to wait.

"What if _she_ comes back?" The thought of Kikyou sent a chill crawling up her spine.

"Keh. Kikyou won't be back for another two nights." His forearm rested up against the other side of the glass. Kagome could see the defined muscles wrapped around his ribs moving like liquid as he breathed. She tried to focus on something else. Like his ears. They were cute and not intimidating.

"How do you know she'll wait until then?"

"Because she comes every week, same time, same night, like clockwork." He growled.

Sango spoke up then. "That's not right, the guide told us the priestess comes every night. At midnight."

"By all means," Inuyasha snapped, "believe everything the guide says. It's only a three-hundred-year-old legend. She couldn't possibly have her facts wrong."

"Be nice," Kagome hissed.

He narrowed his eyes again, zeroing in on her. "Are you going to let me out or what?"

She'd been asking herself the same question. She'd have to kiss him again to release him, and while she yearned deep inside to feel those lips of his on her again, she was afraid of losing herself. And then there was Hojou to think about. Her life was quickly spinning out of the realm of normality. She was clinging of the idea of keeping a normal boyfriend with the last of her strength.

But it was hard, keeping Hojou in mind, when Inuyasha was so… _otherworldly_. And she remembered what it felt like to kiss him. She remembered the way her body had reacted. She remembered everything.

"How did I suddenly remember everything?" She asked then, folding her arms. "I got close to the mirror and suddenly felt fine, and I realize that was part of the spell to make me forget, but how did I _remember_?"

The hanyou fidgeted, his ears twitched. He looked away. Finally he shrugged. "I gave you your memories back." He glared at her through the glass. "When you touched the mirror I was able to make you remember."

"Why did you want me to remember?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He growled. Then ran a hand through his hair, continuing when she didn't reply. "You're the only one who can get me the fuck out of here. Everyone else I've shown myself to over the years has either run screaming, or Kikyou has kept them away. You're the first one in all these years to actually come back!"

Kagome's jaw dropped open.

Sango whistled low and long. "Kagome, I don't think this is such a good idea…."

"What will you do once you're out?" Kagome asked, ignoring Sango's doubts.

"Keh, I'll have to go into hiding, of course. That bitch will be after me once she realizes I'm gone."

"Well, where will you _go_?"

He frowned. "I'll manage." They stared at each other over the silence, on either side of the mirror. Why was the thought of him wandering around in a time that was three hundred years his future so depressing?

"You won't hurt me?" She asked.

"I won't hurt you." He said.

He could be lying. But he hadn't tried to kill her before. In fact, he'd been almost… protective of her. She recounted the way he'd kept her behind his back, the way he'd told Kikyou to leave her out of it. The way he'd pounded frantically against the mirror as Kikyou's minion had ripped into her flesh. She wanted to ask him about the marble, but really, this probably wasn't the time. If she was going to have any success at getting him out of the museum, they'd have to act fast, before the guards interfered.

Yes, Inuyasha could be lying, but Kagome was nothing if not trusting. She took a step forward. Sango's hand shot out and grabbed onto her arm.

"Kagome, don't!" She said, eyes wide.

Kagome smiled, and placed her hand over her friends' fingers. "Sango, he's been in there so long," she said. "And against his will. He tried to protect me before, and he did give me back my memories."

"That's probably not a good thing considering he's a youkai! Forgetting about all this would be better protection!"

"He needs my help," was all she said. She marched right up to the mirror and placed her hands on the glass.

Inuyasha knelt down, inches away from her. His face took her breath away. Full lips and smooth skin and long, gorgeous hair. And his eyes, if possible, were more beautiful and intense than she remembered. _Just get this part over with quickly_, she thought, trying to keep her boyfriend in mind, and closed her eyes, pressing her lips against the mirror.

It took a few seconds, but his lips were on hers again. As soon as she felt the soft pressure of him against her, she pulled back, but his hand was pushed into her hair then, and he pressed her to him, keeping the connection.

She melted. She couldn't help it. All rational thought had been doused. He opened up to her and demanded she respond as he stepped fully out of the mirror. And she did, wrapping her arms around his neck and crushing herself to his chest. This was it. This is what had been missing from Hojou's kisses. This is what she'd been yearning for, without even knowing it. He nipped at her lips, pulling and nibbling, his tongue making her forget who she was.

"_Kagome!_" Sango hissed, and suddenly, she came back to herself. Horrified at her lack of rational thought, she pulled away, fighting his strength as he tried to keep the kiss going. She pushed against his chest, and he growled, refusing to let her go. She reached up, tugging at his hair, but it only seemed to excite him. Moving her hand around, panicking, she felt something warm and fuzzy. It twitched when her fingertips grazed it. His ear! She grabbed onto it and yanked it back with all her might.

"Fuck!" He cried, dropping her into a panting, gasping heap on the floor and bringing his hand up to massage his wounded appendage. "What the hell?" He growled. "Bitch!"

Kagome shuffled back on the floor until she ran into Sango who helped her up. Her friend's gaze was glued to the hanyou, who had just magically come out of the mirror in front of her own eyes.

"I don't believe it," she whispered.

Still feeling breathless from the kiss, Kagome rolled her eyes. "Believe it," she muttered.

Inuyasha glared right at Kagome, still nursing his ear. "You didn't have to fucking tear it off," he growled.

"You wouldn't stop kissing me," Kagome accused.

He sniffed, crossing his arms. "Don't pretend you didn't like it wench, you were all over me."

"It's Kagome, remember? Not wench." She huffed. "And I was _not_ all over you."

"You were kinda all over him," Sango agreed. She winced at Kagome's traitorous look. "It's not like I can blame you, I mean…." She let her words hang, her gaze raking over the half-naked hanyou standing in front of them.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. It takes a kiss to get me out, and I _have_ been stuck inside that damn mirror for centuries now. It doesn't matter at this point if an ugly-butt kisses me to set me free, I'd kiss a goat if it were a female at this point."

Kagome bristled. The nerve of him, kissing her like that and then comparing her to a goat. What was his problem? She was _helping_ him. "Sorry for being such an _ugly-butt_," she sneered. "Next time why don't you just show yourself to someone pretty? And you wouldn't let me go this time, I tried to stop the kiss. I have a perfectly gorgeous boyfriend who I kiss every day, thank you very much."

His eyes locked onto hers then, and a grin spread across his face slow, dangerous and sexy. "Ka-go-me," he said, pronouncing her name slowly, the way she'd first said it to him. "The way you kissed me says you don't have a boyfriend."

"I don't mean to break up this heart-warming chit-chat we have going on here, but we're standing in the middle of a museum at night time, we're locked in, and we've just pulled a freaking youkai out of a mirror –"

"Hanyou," both Kagome and Inuyasha corrected her at once.

Sango narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between them. "Whatever. The point is, how the hell are we getting out of here? And if we do get out, what the hell do we do with him?"

The grin was back on Inuyasha's face again. "Don't worry about getting out of here, wench," he said. "Leave that to me."

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Sorry lovely readers, I know this one took a bit longer to get out. Honestly I had most of this chapter written out, but I didn't like it, so I trashed it and started over. Hope you like this version!

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	8. Chapter 8: Inuyasha's Freedom

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Good to see you guys again. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or it's characters. So sad.

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Chapter 8: Inuyasha's Freedom

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Inuyasha

Inuyasha knew the moment Kikyou ripped the jewel out of Kagome's side that he couldn't kill the doppelganger. It was like fate had dropped her in front of the mirror, all wide-eyed and innocent. Out of the billions of people on earth, out of all the places to be, she'd specifically been in _his_ museum, in _his_ room, gazing into _his_ mirror as if she'd known all his secrets. When he'd finally gotten a whiff of her, and realized she wasn't actually Kikyou, he couldn't believe his luck.

He'd hatched a plan for his freedom at that point. He would convince the doppelganger to free him. He'd have to kill her so Kikyou wouldn't be able to find her and get any information out of her, but that was just poor luck on her part, not something he could help. Then, free of the mirror, he would go into hiding and track down the jewel so that he could finally rid himself of Kikyou. His plan played over and over in his head.

But then the plan had significantly changed. He couldn't kill the doppelganger because now she was the _only_ human in the entire world that could help him.

That jewel, that _blasted_ jewel was what started all his trouble in the first place. He couldn't fucking believe that she had it inside her the whole time their mouths had been glued together. He'd let his damn lust get the better of him. Had he known it was in her, had he just ripped it out of her right then and there, he could have turned full youkai and boosted his powers and finally killed off that damn witch once and for all. And then he'd be free right now.

But no, he'd thought with his dick instead of his brain. He thought he would've had better control over his lust after all these years, but the lack of any play whatsoever made it a million times worse. And now he was truly paying for it. Kikyou had actually shattered the jewel. _Shattered it_, and sent the shards off to only gods-knew-where! And once the witch wiped the poor girl clean of her memories, no way would she be back. Kikyou liked to set up sub-spells to make sure people did her bidding. He was sure she'd done something to make the doppelganger avoid the museum at all costs. He had lost his only chance to gain his freedom and track down the jewel shards. Even one, single shard would help him greatly.

Which is why Inuyasha was so shocked that she came back. His heart stopped when he saw her again. She was terrified, clinging to her friend, those same wide eyes darting around as if some horrible creature might jump out and tear her open. Despite her obvious fear, he couldn't help but be impressed with her. No one, not one single person he'd shown himself to over the years had ever come back. They just didn't. What was so special about this girl, then, that she could fight against Kikyou's spells?

She was different, this one. It wasn't just the fact that she was a doppelganger. It wasn't just the fact that she was tied to the jewel. There had to be some level of power in her somewhere. Just having the ability to fight against Kikyou in this way was a sign that she wasn't just an ordinary human.

Hope flooded inside him. If she was back, it meant that all wasn't lost. He couldn't show himself to her yet, though, and risk scaring her away before she remembered on her own. If she got close enough to the mirror, he knew, the severe anxiety she was feeling would stop. So he watched her creep forward, and prayed to his dead father that she would get close enough. Just a bit closer.

He knew when it happened. A look of bewilderment spread across her face, and muscles she probably hadn't realized she was tightening relaxed. It was icing on the cake when she reached out to touch the mirror. Because then Inuyasha could do a spell of his own.

He grinned from behind the mirror, unseen to her pretty, young eyes as the memories rushed into her and she stumbled back, falling down and staring up at him – well, at the mirror – in shock. His new plan was set into motion now, and this time he'd do it right.

Which is why he was currently leading the way through the museum, with the two girls following closely behind him. Clumsy and loud, their footsteps created sharp clatter as they made their way to the exit. Not that it mattered, Inuyasha was hardly worried about the guards. It was just fucking annoying. He scowled at them over his shoulder more than once.

The doppelganger grabbed onto his upper arm, her fingers barely closing half-way around. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it." He said, brushing her hand away.

She didn't listen to him. "You're not going to kill them, are you?"

Inuyasha stopped and fixed his eyes on hers. "I'm going to take a wild stab at the dark and guess that you don't want me to."

"Of course not!" She said, brows knotting together and nose scrunching up.

Inuyasha felt himself stir from below, and he bit his tongue to get the urge under control. This would never fucking work if he was horny all the time. "Don't worry," he mumbled, eyes darting away from her face, "I won't kill them."

Taking care of the guards would be easy. A simple compliance spell would do. He muttered the words low with his voice as they approached the security desk, feeling the workings of the spell build up within him until he was sure it was solid.

"Hey!" One of the guards stood from the desk then, having spotted them. He came from behind the desk, flashlight bouncing light around as he jogged over. "Hold it right there, how did you get inside?"

Inuyasha locked his eyes onto the man's face. "Hello. Please let us out." Keeping his words short and curt and straight to the point was the only way to deal with people when under his control.

A dazed look passed across the guards' face. His mouth went slack, then turned into a smile. "Of course, anything you wish. Right this way, please."

"Hey, hey!" The other girl said, the one that wasn't Kagome. "What did you do to him? Kagome, what did he do?"

The doppelganger shrugged, but darted her eyes up to him. "Will he be okay?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Was she always so worried about everyone around her? She didn't know this guy, what the hell did she care? "He's fine. You going to follow him or what, wench? This is your chance to get out of here." He grinned. "But by all means, stay."

Her brows scrunched together again, and Inuyasha pushed away at the thought that she didn't look half bad angry. She didn't answer him, just grabbed the other girl's hand in her own and set her jaw determinedly.

Inuyasha shook as he stepped out into the cold night air. Kikyou would let him out every so often, under her complete control, of course, to do her bidding. But it had been three-hundred very long years since he had felt the ground beneath his bare feet on his own terms. As soon as he was outside of the building he headed straight for the first patch of grass he saw, only a few feet away. He reveled in the way each blade caressed his soles, how the dirt gave way as he dug his toes into it. He knelt down and placed his hands upon it, gouging his claws into the earth. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. This is what he'd spent his time yearning for in that damn mirror, when he wasn't contemplating revenge, this freedom that he ached for deep inside. Finally. Finally he was free.

"So now what?" The other girl asked, breaking Inuyasha from his luxurious thoughts. "What do we do with him?"

He turned to watch Kagome's reaction. She shrugged. "I don't know. We have to hide him somewhere. Maybe I can sneak him into the storage shed in my backyard? Make a make-shift bed? Mom hasn't been in since dad's been gone, and Souta is still too young to use anything in there, so it's a pretty good hiding place, actually."

"Oi, I think you have the wrong idea." Inuyasha growled, reluctantly moving away from the grass and joining the girls on the pavement. "You," he said, pointing a finger at Kagome, "are coming with me. We'll head out to the forest now and find a place to sleep there, but I want to be clear out of this area by the time the witch returns." He had to make sure Kagome didn't wander from his sight at this point. She was too damn important to him, being Kikyou's doppelganger.

"Wha-what?" She cried, her face draining of color. "You've _got_ to be kidding! I am not sleeping out in the _forest_, okay? I don't like camping, I like sleeping in my bed, thank you very much!"

He felt the growl ripping free of his throat. "Wench, you're not leaving my side, not for one moment. If we're going to survive this, we need to stay close."

"My name isn't wench, it's Kagome. And I'm not galloping off with you to god-knows-where, I have school tomorrow, I have a report due the day after, I have my family to think about. They'll freak when I don't come home!"

He couldn't believe she was arguing with him. Who did she think she was? "None of that matters anymore. When the witch comes back and sees me gone, who do you think she'll go after? _You_. She knows who you are now, you'll be the first person she goes looking for." He stepped closer to her, willing her to be intimidated. Willing her to bend to him. He tried to ignore the fact that her resistance was for some reason turning him on. He idly wondered what she'd do if he kissed her again, like he had before. Would she bend to his will then? "You want to fucking die?" He said, lowering his voice to intimidate her. "Because if we don't run, she will kill you."

He could smell her fear. He could also smell her arousal. And her resistance. She'd dug her heels in to keep from showing him any fear, he could see it in her stance, legs apart, arms crossed, jaw locked into place.

Fuck, how could she possibly turn him on this much? _It's just the fucking lack of opportunity, idiot,_ he berated himself.

"I'm not going." She said.

"Listen, wench, I-"

"It's Kagome!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to give her a good lashing. He would reach out and throw her over his shoulder and take off with her if she kept arguing with him like a fucking child. He opened his mouth to tell her this, when the hunger hit him.

"Fuck!" He cried out, clutching his stomach.

Kagome's face changed from angry to horrified in an instant. "What is it? Are you okay?" She took the two steps and reached out, her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" Inuyasha snapped, jerking away from her touch. "I'm just hungry, that's all. Argh, it hurts!"

"Hungry?" The other girl said. "Like, for blood?"

He whipped his head around to glare at her. "I'm not a fucking vampire," he said. "I'm just hungry. I haven't had anything to eat in…." He had to think back to the last time Kikyou had let him out of the mirror to do her bidding. "Sixty years." He decided.

"_What_?!" Both girls exclaimed at once, jaws dropping.

"How is that possible?" The doppelganger said.

"When I'm in the mirror," he gasped out, clutching onto his stomach, "my urges are suppressed."

"_All_ of them?" The other girl asked.

"Just the ones that are necessary." He growled. "I need some food, quickly. I need to hunt." He wasn't sure that he could do it though, the hunger was so fucking intense. Kikyou had never let him feel it. She'd had food prepared for him the moment he'd stepped out of the mirror. Fuck, it hurt!

"Hunt?" Kagome squeaked.

"Yes, hunt!" He snapped at her. "The longer I'm out of the mirror, the worse this fucking pain is."

"Well, you're not hunting. We'll go buy something for you to eat, I still have some of this week's allowance."

"Whatever, just get me to a place where I can have some food!"

Kagome turned to her friend, and they shared a worried glance. "What time is it, Sango?" She asked.

Sango pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. "9:20, we could hit up a fast-food joint."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome sighed. She stepped over to him and reached out to help him up. Startled, Inuyasha jerked away from her. "What are you doing?"

Her nose scrunched up again. "What does it look like I'm doing? You need to stand up."

"I can do it myself, wench." He bit out. He didn't want her touching him, he didn't like how he seemed to lose control when she did, how he seemed to hone in on and obsess about her touch. He also didn't want to look fucking weak.

"Fine," she said, throwing her hands up into the air. "Let's go." She reached out and grabbed her friends' hand instead, and, clutching his stomach, Inuyasha stood and followed behind, trying to ignore his frantic hunger.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Hope you guys liked it!

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	9. Chapter 9: Inuyasha's Curse

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Kind of a longer note this time. Bear with me here! Welcome back! Glad you're here. Also, 50 reviews! Whoo-hoo! I'm bringing you guys a longer chapter to celebrate. Enjoy!

Dedication: I don't normally do these anymore, but I felt like this was a good a time as any for a dedication. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to reader/reviewer LalaCisler, for being my fiftieth review. Thanks for taking the time to review, LalaCisler, and I'm so happy you like YITM.

Also, a shout out to everyone that's been reviewing up until now is in order. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

I'd also like to note that this particular chapter was written to a specific song: Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky. If you're able to, I suggest heading over to Youtube or whichever website you prefer to listen while you read, especially the ending scene. Explosions in the Sky is a post-rock band, there are no lyrics, so it goes along nicely with reading. Try it out, if you'd like!

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Chapter Nine: Inuyasha's Curse

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Kagome

"He doesn't have a shirt on, they won't let him in," Sango said, pointing to the 'no shirt – no service' notice posted on the Mos Burgers door. She glanced back to Inuyasha, her eyes narrowing. "He looks like one of those cosplay people."

Kagome sighed. "Okay, here, take the cash." She dug into her purse and pulled out her wallet, handing it over to her friend, glancing over to Inuyasha herself. He was still somewhat bent over, clutching at his side, his face contorted in pain. Sweat dripped from his hairline and down his nose. He shook with hunger, his whole body quivering in small, tightly controlled bursts. "Uh, you'd better get as much as you can with what I have," she added, wondering how much food would be enough to fill sixty years of an empty stomach.

Sango plucked Kagome's wallet from her hands and walked into the building, leaving Inuyasha in Kagome's care. She walked over, reaching out instinctively to help him around to the outside seating area, but pulled away as his eyes locked onto hers, warning her not to touch him.

Fine, he was so disgusted by her touch? She'd never touch him again. She forced down the sudden inner cry that she _wanted_ to touch him. She thought about his kisses. He hadn't seemed disgusted by her touch then. She shook her head to clear it as she sat down, Inuyasha falling onto the bench beside her, resting his head on the table.

"How long is your stupid friend going to take?" He growled.

"She's not stupid, and she's going to order you a lot of food so you won't be so hungry, give her a few seconds."

"I could have hunted and killed enough to feed all three of us for a week by now," he snapped.

Kagome wrinkled her nose at the thought of him strangling bunnies and ripping apart squirrels to eat their insides, her stomach churning. "Not an option. I like animals, I'm not letting you go out and murder a bunch of forest critters."

"Just – ugh! – just shut up wench, I can't take your constant talking right now."

She set her jaw against his words, trying to keep cool. It wouldn't do to start a fight here, out in the open, with Inuyasha the way he was. She still wasn't one hundred percent convinced that he wasn't going to kill her, although, something in her gut told her that probably wouldn't happen, no matter how brash and rude and barbaric he was. She sat next to him, silent, as he growled and moaned and made a fuss.

_Men_, she thought, inwardly rolling her eyes. _What a bunch of babies_. A thought struck her then. _Was_ Inuyasha a man? He was youkai, that was for sure. Err, hanyou, half youkai and half human. But still, was man the right word for what he was?

She shot a quick glance his way, trying to seem as indifferent as she possibly could. He _looked_ man enough, and he sure as hell had _felt_ man enough. And there had to be both male and female youkai, cause how did they reproduce otherwise? Kagome had the sudden image of Inuyasha asexually reproducing a perfect replica of himself and couldn't help the giggles that escaped her lips.

"What the hell do you have to laugh about?" He snapped.

"Nothing, it's just…" did she dare ask him? "There are female youkai, right?"

His facial expression set her off in another fit of giggles just as Sango approached. "What's so funny?" She asked, setting the overloaded tray onto the table.

"You tell me!" Inuyasha growled, reaching for the first hamburger on top of the pile. He bit into it.

"Whoa, Inuyasha, unwrap it first!" Kagome reached out and yanked it from his hands as he swallowed his bite, paper and all. She unwrapped it to show him before handing it back. He swiped it up and ate the entire thing faster than she's ever seen anyone do before.

"Your allowance didn't get much food, Kagome," Sango said, handing her wallet back to her. "I put up for the rest. You owe me lunch for a few days."

"Got it, thanks Sango." She said, and both girls settled in to watch Inuyasha inhale his food.

Twenty-three hamburgers, seven packs of chicken nuggets and seventeen fries later, plus multiple trips back inside for Kagome to fetch more soda and catsup, Inuyasha had satiated the majority of his hunger. He slowed his eating down at the end, seeming to savor every bite, and he had definitely perked up. Kagome saw the smallest trace of a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth.

"So, I have a couple of questions," she said, sounding braver than she felt.

"I have a _million_ questions," Sango chimed in. "Like what the hell actually happened to you that night? Obviously the guards didn't kick you out, and this Kikyou person has a lot to do with it. I also feel like I might be dreaming." She added, eyes raking over the hanyou sitting in front of her.

Kagome filled her in then, on everything, right down to the detail of her side being ripped open by Kikyou's minion.

"How come I didn't notice your wound?! Kagome!" Sango cried, reaching for her shirt and lifting it up.

Kagome brushed her hands away. "I'm fine, there's no wound, no scar, nothing."

"Makes sense," Inuyasha said through a mouthful of fries. "Kikyou wanted you to stay away, not remember. Obviously a gaping wound in your side would have tipped you off that something was wrong."

Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha then, determined to get some answers. "Speaking of Kikyou, who is she? And why did she trap you in the mirror in the first place?"

His face changed. He frowned. "That doesn't concern you."

"But-"

"I said it doesn't fucking concern you, so drop it. It doesn't matter why I was spelled inside the mirror, it just matters that I stay out of it."

"Okay, fine. Can you tell us why she has to keep coming back to re-do the spell?"

He took another bite. Chewed slowly. Swallowed. "The spell has its limits. If she doesn't come back once a week to weave the spell again her powers start to fade, which means she'll start to lose control over everything she's spelled in the past. She's powerful. Too powerful for me to take head-on right now. That's why I have to stay on the run, so she can't find me to do the spell again. If I stay away long enough, and if her powers weaken enough…." his smile was dark and dangerous. "I'll be able to finally kill the bitch once and for all."

"So the plan is to weaken her and kill her?"

"Keh," he scoffed, "don't tell me you're going weak in the stomach, wench. She's dangerous."

"You're dangerous."

His smile widened to a grin. "You're right. I am dangerous. But I won't spell you, and I won't chase after or kill you. So right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and Kikyou."

Kagome mulled that over in her head. He was right. At the moment, she was more scared of Kikyou than she was of Inuyasha.

"Are there other youkai?" Sango asked. "Like you?"

"Of course there are other youkai. There are billions of youkai. Youkai do not go extinct just like humans do not go extinct."

"How come we never see any?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm assuming they've evolved to blend in with you humans."

"You don't blend in."

"Do I look like I've evolved in your world?"

Kagome chimed in again. "Do all youkai have powers like you and Kikyou?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. Youkai do not have powers. At least, not the kind I do. It's not magic, it's just the use of a very ancient language, which I've picked up here and there over the years from observing the witch. That and you can't live in a spelled mirror and not have some of that power seep into you."

"Will you start to lose your powers like Kikyou will, the longer you're away from the mirror?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'll just have to wait and see, but it doesn't matter if I do lose my power, because a Kikyou without power is a weak Kikyou. Easily defeated." Kagome watched him clutch his fists together.

"You said she lets you out every so often, to do her bidding. Why? What does she have you do for her?"

He inhaled sharply then, his eyes narrowing. He dropped his hamburger onto the tray. "You don't want to know."

"I _do_ want to know," Kagome pressed.

He slammed his hands down on the table, making both girls jump. "You don't fucking want to know. Drop it."

She sighed again, changing subjects. "So what about the marble she ripped out of me then? What was it?"

"The Shikon no Tama. It's not a _marble_," he sneered, "it's a jewel. A very powerful jewel."

"So why was it in _me_?"

He sat back then, running his hand thoughtfully through his hair. She tried not to follow the trail of his hand, tried not to be mesmerized by the silky strands brushing through his fingers.

"I'm not sure," he finally said. "You look like her though. You're either her distant relative or you're a reincarnation. Some sort of doppelganger."

Kagome's back stiffened. "_What_?"

He shrugged. "It makes sense."

"I can't be her reincarnation, she's still alive."

"Is she?" He asked.

"Isn't she?"

He smiled then. "Not exactly." He waved her next question away. "It doesn't matter though. We do need to get the jewel back. It will help me defeat her when she is finally weak enough." He chewed and swallowed the last of his food. "That's all you need to know for now. And I'm full."

"Thank god," Sango muttered. "I had to use my mom's credit card."

Kagome wanted to ask him more questions. She had so many. But it was getting late, and they needed to figure out their next plan of action. "So now I guess we'll sneak you into my back yard…" Kagome said, already knowing it was a long-shot. "I'm worried my family might discover you though."

"No good." Inuyasha said. "The witch will come looking for us there. She knows you now. She knows where you live."

Sango sighed then, rolling her eyes. "The things I do for you, Kagome," she said. "Let's stay at my house tonight, my parent's are gone until next week."

"Oh Sango, thank you so much." Kagome said, whipping out her cell. "I'll call mom and let her know I'll be at your place tonight."

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Kagome lay on the makeshift bed on the floor of Sango's room. It was early in the morning, the alarm clock on the desk flashed five a.m. She stared at the ceiling, thinking over the night's events.

Getting Inuyasha to agree to stay at Sango's had been agonizing. He'd gone so far as to try and carry her off into the forest, until she'd started to cry, scared for her life at that point. He's stopped then, dropping her back onto her feet and mumbling about her overreacting. But he'd finally agreed to stay at Sango's.

Sango had scrounged up a change of clothes for him from her father's wardrobe, a pair of jeans that were a bit too wide for his hips and an oversized t-shirt. He'd complained about modern clothing, but had let Sango take his hakama with a promise to kill her if she did not get it back to him in one piece after she washed it.

When they all finally settled in for the night, Inuyasha had balked at the idea of sleeping inside. He climbed out the window, mumbling about open space and breathing room. That was around one in the morning.

And now here she was, three hours later, wide awake and listening to Sango's soft breathing, wondering how the hell her friend could be sleeping at a time like this. Kagome felt like she was a live wire, electricity running through her veins, her heart pounding. She had school tomorrow – er, today – and a report due the day after. She had parents and chores to attend to. She had a boyfriend who was waiting to see her again.

She pushed all thoughts of Hojou back, a wave of guilt crashing over her. They'd barely started dating and she was already the world's worst girlfriend. She didn't want to break up with him – she _didn't_ – but how could she be satisfied with his kisses now? How could she be okay with plain lips and plain eyes and plain hair and a plain body when there was one so beautiful and otherworldly that she'd had a taste of?

She was being ridiculous, she knew. What the hell did she think was going to happen? That the hanyou would want to be with her? Take her on dates and to movies and buy her presents and introduce her to his parents?

She giggled at the thought. Then heard him move on the rooftop. She sat up, listening. He moved again. Sighing, knowing sleep wouldn't come to her tonight anyway, she moved to the open window and peeked out. She couldn't see him. He had to be behind her, on the very peak of the roof.

He moved again, and this time she could hear him grumble something, although she couldn't make it out. Slowly, carefully, she climbed out onto the rooftop, locking the muscles in her legs to keep her firmly planted as she started the climb up.

He was sitting there, looking like a god, his platinum hair like a beacon in the dark, golden eyes sharp and sparkling against the reflection of the artificial porch light. He was perched at the top of the roof, where the two slanted sides met, resting on his haunches, his elbow propped up on his knee, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. He didn't glance in Kagome's direction as she made her way to him. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the night sky.

Slowly, Kagome eased herself down beside him, feeling clumsy and ridiculous next to him. She'd only been on her own roof once, just to see what it would be like, but she'd been yelled at when her grandfather caught her up there, and she'd never gone back up since. She smiled, remembering how upset her mother had been, how worried they were that she'd fall and break her neck.

But the over-protectiveness of her family was to be expected, what with her dad falling to his death and all.

"….It looks different."

Kagome shook her head, moving from her thoughts of the past. "What?" She asked. He'd spoken so softly, she wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"The night sky. The stars. Even the moon. It all looks different." He said.

She watched his profile as he watched the sky. He was unbelievably beautiful, wrapped in darkness, bathed in moonlight, eyes glowing as he scoured the heavens. The instinct to reach out and run her fingertips against the sharp edge of his jaw overwhelmed her for a moment, but she quickly squashed it down.

"Do you know a lot about stars, Inuyasha?" She asked.

He shrugged, not looking at her. "I wouldn't say I know a lot about them. I do like them though. Or," he sighed, "I did."

Kagome cocked her head to the side, curious. "Not anymore?"

He frowned. "They were always a reminder of stability. It didn't matter what happened during the day, when night came, they were always there. But over the years, they've gone out. Most of them are gone. What has happened to my world, that so many stars have been extinguished?"

She smiled then, knowing. "Ah. I'm happy to tell you then, that they are still there."

"Keh," he scoffed, finally tearing his gaze away from the sky and fixing it to her. "No they're not. They haven't been for a long time. Over the years, when Kikyou would let me out to do her bidding, I started to notice the stars were less and less." The corners of his mouth twitched up. "If you'd seen it back then, you would find the stars of today to be lacking."

Her grin widened. "But they _are_ still there. You can't see them well from here because of the light pollution."

He raised his eyebrow, skeptical. "What the hell is light pollution?"

"Take a look," Kagome said, spreading her arms out in front of them. The small valley below stretched out before them, city lights glowing, the few car lights on the road slowly making their way through like lazy caterpillars crawling along. "All that light from our modern world, all those buildings and all those cars and all those homes… It's all creating light pollution. We can't see the light of the stars because it's bouncing off all the light that we're creating down here." She turned to look at him again. She couldn't help the small giggle that made its way out at the amazement on his face. "The stars are still there, Inuyasha, they're still shining, you just can't see them right now."

His eyes moved back to hers then, wide and searching. His gaze made her fidget. "Wh-what?" She asked.

"Nothing. Nothing," he repeated. "But why would you want to create something to block out the stars?" His back stiffened then, and he inhaled sharply. "Have you never actually _seen_ all the stars, wench?" He asked. "Even thought they're there?"

She didn't correct him, she was too amused by his suddenly curious expressions. She'd seen him angry, and she'd seen him hungry, both for food and other – _ahem _ – things. But she had yet to see him so full of wonderment.

"I have," she replied, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back onto her hands. "Only a few times though. If you go to a place so remote, where there's barely a single person around, and you wait until nightfall, then you can truly see the stars." She closed her eyes to enrich the memory. "There are so many, and you can feel the _depth_ of them, feel how deep the universe is. Suddenly, the sky doesn't look or feel so flat. Suddenly, you feel so tiny and so large and the same exact time." When she opened her eyes, he was staring straight at her again, that same expression he'd had earlier. She felt her heart skip. "What is it? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" He asked, moving closer as he said it. "What am I looking at you like?"

How could she put it into words the way his eyes spoke? She'd never seen the likes of it before. Like he wanted to devour her, but she wasn't quite sure in which way. "You look like you want to eat me." She finally said.

He grinned then, his teeth flashing. "Ah, Ka-Go-Me." He said. He was almost on top of her, blocking out her vision of the sky. "I do. I want to eat you." And he closed his mouth over her own.

It was impossible to explain how he made her lose all rational thought, made her fall apart at the seams as he pressed close to her, pulled her to him. He laid her back gently against the rough tiles of the rooftop, propping his weight on his arm, his hip resting next to hers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gathered her to him.

She felt that same heat spread through her. She didn't resist as he took from her, didn't fight back. How could she, when her body screamed for him every waking moment? She positively ached for him, and it grew stronger as he kissed her. His kisses were slow this time, slow and heated and seductive. She trembled under the touch of his hand pressed firmly against her lower back, against his hips flush to her.

She wanted to feel more of him then, craved skin-to skin contact. She reached down with shaking hands, and slipped her fingers under his borrowed shirt. Heat sizzled on her fingertips as she grazed them lightly against the hard plans of his stomach, slowly moving them up, up, up, taking the shirt with her. He growled into her mouth, nipped at her tongue, and moved his hand from her back to her hip, slipping his hand under her shirt and skimming along her side; the swell of her hip, the dip of her waist, tracing his hand along the edge of her bra.

She lost herself in him; in his touch, in the sudden nakedness of his chest as he pulled away to rip the shirt over his head before claiming her again. He rolled her onto her back and straddled her, his knees on either side of her hips, never breaking their kiss. His grabbed at her shirt, pulling it up slowly, slowly, _agonizingly _slow. Kagome's breathless pants changed to heated moans under him. She couldn't help the way her hips pushed up against him, feeling the harness that awaited her, rubbing against him, desperate for the friction she was creating.

"Fuck," he half panted, half growled as he pulled away from her lips then. She protested, crying out for him, then sighed as his lips found her lower abdomen. He kissed every inch of her, up, up, up to her bra, his fingers reaching up and clawing right through the fabric that wrapped protectively around her chest.

She would explode. She felt too big for her body, desperate for release as the very first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon. His tongue lavished her, his fingers slipped low, teasing her inner thighs, coaxing her open for him. She felt pressure as Inuyasha moved his mouth up to capture her lips again, kissing her deeply as his fingers pressed into her –

- and were suddenly gone.

So were his lips.

Kagome opened her eyes to a deep lavender sky, wondering why he'd pulled away. She sat up. Looked around. "Inuyasha?" She called, pulling her shirt down and standing on wobbly legs to scan the roof, the yard, the street that stretched out in front of her. The shirt he'd borrowed was still lying on the roof. That was the only sign left of him.

He was gone.

"_Inuyasha_!" She cried, her voice ringing out into the emerging sunlight.

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Ah, another chapter completed. I hope you guys like it. I have to say, that scene on the roof is probably my favorite scene that I've written so far. I love stars and space and planets and looking up in the night sky away from all the man made lights and seeing the milky way in all its' glory. There is no sight more beautiful to me.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	10. Chapter 10: Inuyasha's Return

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Hey everyone, welcome back. Just a heads up, I went and got a second job for the upcoming holiday seasons, which means I'm going to have much less time on my hands, which means updates for this fic will come to you once or twice a week as opposed to once a day. No worries though, it's still truckin' along here. I hope you enjoy!

I've had a few inquires about my other fics. If you have any questions about any of my other fics continuing or not, you can check out my Fanfiction Schedule section on my profile page.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter Ten: Inuyasha's Return

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Inuyasha

"You've got to be _fucking kidding me_!" Inuyasha roared, slamming the side of his fist into the mirror. It shook under the force of his angry assault, but held firm, much to his dismay. Breaking something sounded like an excellent idea to him at the moment. The only problem was that there was nothing around him that he could break.

He was back inside his cell. How the hell had he gotten back into his cell? It didn't make any sense. He had been released, and he knew that Kikyou hadn't come to visit since then. She never did except for the one night a week at midnight. In all the years he'd been held captive she had never broken the pattern.

So how the fuck had he gotten back?

The walls seemed to close in on him after spending the whole night a free man. He was caged up like an animal again. And it didn't help his mood that he actually _felt_ like an animal. Really, out of _every _moment in time, the mirror had chosen _that moment_ to bring him back. When he'd been wrapped around a soft, supple, feminine body. He brought his fingers up to his lips. They felt swollen. He could feel the doppelganger's sizzling skin on the tips of his fingers still, could see her eyes fluttering shut, her cheeks flushed red, her body quivering under him. He lifted his other hand up to look at his fingers. The first two were still sticky, proof that he'd really been next to her, pushing into her. He could still taste her. Her tongue, her skin…

He shook his head and bit his tongue against his lustful thoughts. His groin was extra sensitive, pushing against his borrowed pants. He couldn't remember a time that he'd ever been so turned on. And he'd been _so close_ to getting the release that he needed.

And damn if the doppelganger didn't want him. She turned to putty under his skilled fingers. Inuyasha couldn't help the slow grin spreading across his face as he remembered how her face had changed from calm and relaxed to instantly ready for him. How her eyes widened and he leaned in, how her heart pumped loudly inside her chest.

"Shit," he growled, pushing away from the glass and laying on his back on the cold stone floor. He breathed in deeply, then out. In. Out. In. Out. He counted to fifty in his head. He thought about running through the trees, the wind in his hair. He thought about bathing in the natural spring water of the forest, he thought about anything other than Kagome and her body.

He sat up, clenching his abdominal muscles, and then released them as he lay back down. Again he sat up, clenched, then down, released. Up. Clench. Down. Release. Again and again he performed his crunches, over and over and over. One hundred. Two hundred. Three-fifty. The burn kicked in somewhere in the high five hundreds

After eight hundred crunches he started to feel more like himself. Once he reached eleven hundred, he flipped over and started all over again with push-ups. Up and down, up and down, breathing in and breathing out. The sweat dripped from his forehead, splashing onto the flattened rock underneath him. Still he pushed onward.

Physically drained, his body now burning from exhaustion rather than lust, he collapsed again onto his back, his arm resting across his forehead. He focused on his breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall as he inhaled and exhaled. He stared at the ceiling of his cell, his eyes tracing along the cracks and bumps that ran back and forth above him.

Now that he could finally concentrate on what was actually important, Inuyasha turned his thoughts to the mirror.

He had never, in all these years, been snapped back inside his cage for no reason at all. He'd been out before, doing Kikyou's bidding, but he'd always stepped back into the mirror with his own feet. Never had he been in one place and then suddenly another. Never had he been ripped away like he'd been ripped away from Kagome. Never.

There was something he was missing here. Something was off. He frowned, wondering if it was because Kikyou had been the one to let him out the other times. Maybe he could only truly be free if Kikyou's lips were the ones to do it?

_That doesn't make any fucking sense though_, he thought, rolling onto his stomach and resting his head into his folded arms. _If only her lips can free me for good, why allow Kagome's lips do it as well? Why let anyone else free me at all_? He supposed it could be some sick game of Kikyou's, but he didn't think so. It wasn't really her style. Her style was more blunt and to the point.

So what was different this time? What had changed? He lifted his head then, hearing noises on the other side of the mirror. He watched as the first of the museum-goers shuffled passed the glass, gawking and pointing and talking in hushed voices. Daytime had to be in full swing now.

Kagome flashed into his mind again. He was kissing her atop her friend's roof, under the stars. Through her heated moans and whimpers of arousal he could feel the air around him warming bit-by-bit, could feel daylight coming like a slow-moving tidal wave, ready to swallow them both up. He'd felt a rush. It had been years, _years_ since he'd seen the sunlight. Since he'd felt it against his skin. Since Kikyou came only once a week and always at midnight, that was the only time she freed him to work for her. And his tasks were always done well before the sun rose.

Well before the sun rose.

Well… before…

Inuyasha inhaled sharply. He sat up on his haunches and shouted at himself inside his head, hurling curses left and right.

How the _fuck_ could he have been so stupid? How did he miss it? Of _course_, it was the most obvious thing in the world!

Daylight. Daylight was the key. It was the curse. It was the safety Kikyou had spelled into his entrapment. It made so much sense, Inuyasha wanted to shout at the top of his lungs. He wanted to laugh until his sides hurt, laugh until he puked. If the bitch let him out at night and he somehow managed to escape, which he had never been able to, and he had tried many times, all she had to do was wait until morning, and –_snap_- Inuyasha would be right back in his cage, wrapped up nice and tidy for her, like a present.

He had to suppress his furious growl. Fuck her. Fuck her and her control issues. Fuck her and her spells and her entrapments and her fucking obsession with him. He didn't want to fucking do her bidding anymore. He _hated_ doing the things she made him do. He had nightmares about it. He hated himself for it. He wanted out.

But how could he get out now? He needed more than a single night, then a mere twelve hours to hunt down the jewel shards and piece them together. He needed more than a night to attain his freedom. How could be possibly do that if the mirror kept dragging him back over and over?

More than anything though, more than he'd ever wanted before, he wanted to feel the sun against his skin again, feel the warmth of it soak into him. _I wonder what Kagome looks like in the sun_, he thought fleetingly. The need grew in him. He ached to see daylight.

He had to calm himself down again, and it took a bit before he finally had his murderous rage under control.

Kikyou was smart, but she wasn't unbeatable. He would find a way to outwit her.

Inuyasha sat cross-legged in the center of his cell, watching the humans shuffle back and forth in front of him, thinking. Every idea he came up with, every solution he thought of was immediately shot down. But there had to be some way to give himself more time out of the mirror, some way to keep Kikyou from spelling him every week.

Killing her wouldn't work, after all, unless she weakened, and she wouldn't weaken unless she couldn't spell the mirror and couldn't draw her power from it.

Inuyasha stood up and paced then, back and forth across the small cage. He was on the verge of something, he could feel it. He'd watched Kikyou perform her spell over and over. He knew the enchantment by heart now. But what did that matter when it was time he needed? He couldn't break the enchantment, not with any spell of his own. But what choice, really, did he have if not to break it?

It struck him then. Fuck, it was obvious! Break the mirror. He could break the mirror from the outside, and re-frame a large piece with the spell. A piece large enough to fit inside during the day, and small enough to carry around at night. It would be crowded inside, but really, did it matter in the long run?

No, it fucking didn't.

He was so excited he slipped up and stepped too close to the glass, showing himself for the briefest nanosecond. There was a couple standing in front of the mirror, the man looking down at the description plate, reading aloud, his girlfriend staring up into the glass. Her eyes widened as she caught the quick flash of Inuyasha and she tugged at her boyfriend's arm, pointing at the mirror.

"Did you see that? Did you see?" She exclaimed, jumping excitedly on the balls of her feet.

"What?" He asked, head snapping up to the mirror.

"The youkai, I swear I saw him, I swear!" She stepped closer, eyes narrowed and searching.

"No you didn't." The boyfriend said, smiling at her.

"No I swear he was there, just for a second!"

_Fuck, I was careless_, Inuyasha berated himself as he watching the bickering couple. Not that it mattered so much, no one was going to believe her. He couldn't help but yearn to be free of the mirror again though, to not have to worry about being seen, to be able to walk freely among the humans again.

He smirked. _She wouldn't stay with her boyfriend if she got a good look at me_. He chuckled quietly, the sound echoing off the walls around him.

He was revitalized now, bursting with energy. So what if his first plan hadn't worked out so well, with Kikyou showing up and all. And so what if his second plan had failed too, being sucked right back into the mirror? _Third time's the charm_, he thought, grinning to himself. This plan was going to work. And it was just too bad that Kagome didn't feel like being pulled away from school and family. He needed her if he was going to succeed. If he was right about her, she would be able to detect shard fragments. She could lead him right to the jewel.

And since she seemed to be oh-so-willing to fuck him, he didn't mind if she warmed his bed, either.

He sat back down again, his plan forming, plotting his actions in order to gain the jewel and defeat Kikyou once and for all.

Right now all he had to do was wait for the sun to set.

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Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	11. Chapter 11: Kagome's Dilemma

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Hey guys, glad to be back. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter Eleven: Kagome's Dilemma

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Kagome

"Sango. Sango, get up." Kagome pushed at her friend's shoulder, harder than she would have under normal circumstances. However, things at the moment were far from normal. Things had become so abnormal, in fact, that if Sango weren't here, she would think she'd gone crazy. "Get! Up!" Kagome yelled, shaking as hard as she could.

"What? _What_?!" Sango finally said, smacking her hands away and sitting up, brows knotted together. "What the hell, Kagome? It's six in the morning, I have another thirty minutes to sleep!"

"Sango, he's gone."

Her eyes widened then, and she looked around the room. "What do you mean, gone? He ran away?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, gone as in just gone. He was here one second, and then he wasn't. He just disappeared."

"People don't just disappear."

"He's youkai."

Sango tilted her head. "Do youkai disappear?"

"How would I know, I've only met the one!" Kagome could feel the first signs of hysteria clawing its way up through her chest.

"Calm down. Where was he?"

"On the roof!"

"What was he doing up there?"

Kagome couldn't help the immediate flush that spread across her cheeks. No way could she tell Sango what happened up on the roof. She couldn't believe she'd gone so far with him. The need had been intense and consuming. She hadn't felt like herself at all. Like she was a completely different person.

"Um… stargazing."

Sango narrowed her eyes accusingly. "Stargazing? Kagome…"

"What?" She asked, more defensively then she intended.

"It's written all over your face, don't lie to me."

The two girls stared each other down before Kagome finally gave in and moved to sit on Sango's bed, her head falling into her hands. "Sango, I just… I don't know what's come over me."

"What were you guys doing up there?"

"He just…" She bit her lip, wondering just how much she should let Sango know. "He kissed me again. We kissed and stuff."

Sango shook her head. "What is going on with you? You have a boyfriend, Kagome. A boyfriend that you've been _cheating_ on." She whispered the word, as if Hojou were right in the room with them. When Kagome didn't reply, she continued. "You know, I didn't say anything before because you needed to kiss Inuyasha to let him out of the mirror, but you weren't letting him out of the mirror this time."

"I know, I know!" Kagome said miserably. She looked up at Sango, ashamed. "The truth is, and I know this sounds awful, but I can't control myself. It's almost like… like I become someone completely different when he kisses me. I have never in my whole life felt like this before. I can't stop myself. I feel addicted."

Sango listened quietly, much to Kagome's relief, her head nodding along as she took everything in.

"That sounds… pretty intense. I can't say I've felt that way before. Is it different than Hojou?"

"Oh Sango, it's so different. Before all this happened, I really liked Hojou, and it was nice when he kissed me. But now… now it's like kissing a brother. I've lost the feelings I had, and I don't understand why." She could feel her eyes filling up with tears, and she blinked rapidly to hold them back. "I don't want to be this person. I want to go back to how I felt about Hojou before."

Sango reached out and placed her hand on Kagome's back rubbing in soothing circled. "Do you want to stay together with Hojou?"

Setting her jaw with determination, Kagome nodded. She _did_ want to stay together with Hojou. She wasn't ready to give up what they had yet. She hated that the hanyou from the mirror made her mind go squishy and her body melt. She hated that she lost control around him.

"Okay then, if that's your decision, you have to stick with it. No more kissing Inuyasha. Although, we should probably figure out where he went. The most obvious place to look would be the mirror."

"You think he's back in the mirror?" Kagome asked, not having thought of that conclusion herself.

Sango shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. But do you have any better ideas on where to look?"

"If he hasn't just disappeared, and he _is_ still in the mirror, I can't just leave him in there, trapped." It went against Kagome's very nature, leaving someone to rot, even if that someone made her feel uncomfortable about herself. Even if that someone was fundamentally dangerous.

"It's okay, we'll figure it out, I promise," She said, her comforting hand still in place.

Kagome shook her head. He could be anywhere, if he was still alive. But her friend was right, the mirror was the best place to look. "Okay, we'll have to go back to the museum again."

"But first – dealing with all this and Hojou. There are a few things you need to decide before you see him again. If you're set on staying with him, you cannot tell him about Inuyasha."

She opened her mouth to argue, hating the idea of lying to him, feeling even dirtier about the idea of covering it up. But Sango cut her off. "Kagome, it's not like Hojou would believe you anyway. Telling him that you've been getting hot and heavy with a magical youkai who's cursed to live in a mirror by an evil priestess will not go over well. He'll think you're crazy. _I_ half believe you're crazy, and I've seen him with my own eyes."

Kagome cast her eyes down, her arguments deflating as soon as her mind conjured them up. Of course Hojou would never believe her.

"So if you're sure this is the route you're going to take, when you see him you have to act like nothing happened. We'll figure this whole thing out with getting Inuyasha out of the mirror again, _if_ that's where he is, and that's a big _if_. But then he's going to have to be on his own. And we'll just go back to school and be done with it."

Kagome straightened up in her seat then, Sango's strength seeping into her. "Okay. Okay, you're right, Sango. Thank you for being here for me. For listening to me."

"Oh, please Kagome," Sango said, standing from her bed and walking to her closet. "You've been my strength a million times since we first met. I'm just glad I can return the favor. You're very strong yourself."

"I don't feel very strong," Kagome said, frowning.

"You are. This whole ordeal just proves it, I think. Can you imagine what anyone else would do in your situation? What Eri or Yuka would do?"

Bringing up the other two girls that made up their in-school clique made Kagome giggle, she couldn't help it. "Eri and Yuka would have screamed, running for the hills the moment they saw Inuyasha step out from the mirror."

Sango joined in on her laughter. "It's true!"

"Ah, I'm so glad that you're my best friend, Sango." She watched as her friend blushed from the compliment.

"Me too." She said shyly. They gazed at each other, and Kagome was so, so thankful that Sango had been the one to help her open the stuck locker door she'd been assigned freshman year.

Finally, breaking the unspoken words of friendship between them, Sango thrust a shirt at her, and it smacked her in the face before landing in a crumpled heap at her lap. "Here, get dressed, we'll be late for school if we keep spewing our feelings all over the place.

Kagome groaned. Oh yeah. School.

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"I can't look him in the eyes. I just can't." Kagome's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Hojou make his inevitable way towards her from the other side of the long hallway. He was a bit taller than everyone else, which is one of the things that had attracted her to him in the first place, other than his sweet smile and friendly disposition.

"Kagome, you're being ridiculous. We just talked about this." Sango sighed, exasperated.

"He's going to know. He's going to take one look at me and know."

"Jesus, get in here."

Kagome yelped as Sango pulled her into the girls' bathroom, effectively cutting them off from the chaos that was the high school hallway. She turned on her then, forcing her eyes to lock onto hers.

"Kagome. Breathe. He doesn't know. You told me that you want to stay together with Hojou, and I'm going to help you do that. But if you fall apart it's not going to work."

She inhaled deeply, calming her nerves. "I hate this. I hate myself right now."

"Inuyasha is a youkai, Kagome. I don't know if you're super attracted to him because he's one or not, but whatever the case, it's not your fault."

"But _you're_ not attracted to him."

"Oh, the man is freaking gorgeous all right." Sango grinned. "He's super hot. But I haven't been kissing him."

"You think that's what did it? The kissing?"

Sango shrugged. "Maybe. He can spell people, you saw him do it the other night."

"You think he's _spelling_ me?" Kagome squeaked out, her cheeks flushing.

"I can't know for sure, but that's not the issue right now. Right now you need to calm down and act like everything is normal. Breathe, Kagome. Breathe."

Following Sango's instructions, Kagome breathed. Her friend was right, at this very moment salvaging her relationship with Hojou was the most important thing. She grit her teeth and set her jaw, determination settling over her. She would not let some stupid magic hanyou spell her into ruining her normal, comfortable relationship. She had worked hard at getting Hojou's attention, and becoming friends with him over the years. She vividly remembered a time when she felt that she loved him so much her heart would explode. And although her attraction had waned due to Inuyasha showing up and making her… _feel_ things, her attraction to Hojou had still been true. It had been solid. A fact. And more than anything right now she wanted it again.

"I'm ready," she said, her eyes locking firm onto Sango's. Nodding, Sango released her and followed behind as Kagome turned and pushed open the bathroom door.

Hojou was waiting at her locker, a few feet to the right. She turned on her heel and headed straight for him. She watched his face light up as he caught sight of her, watched as his expression slipped into shock as he noticed the resolve of her own features. He opened his mouth to mutter a 'hey', but she didn't let him get it out. Reaching out, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She refused to let herself think as she kissed him, her mouth working on auto pilot as she drove her tongue between his lips, demanding that he follow her lead.

Hojou didn't disappoint, wrapping his arm around her waist and dragging her to him after his initial shock at her boldness.

Kagome was aware of the stares of the shocked students surrounding them, but she ignored the whispers and continued her assault, refusing to give up until she was sure she was back to normal. After a few moments the students moved on, busy with their own lives, and her kisses turned softer, less needy. Hojou pulled away slightly, beaming down at her.

"What was _that_ for?" He asked, not able to contain the giddy edge in his voice.

Kagome was suddenly hit with a brick of bashfulness, embarrassed at putting on such a show. She was glad the other students were somewhat ignoring them now, but she knew the kiss would be the gossip of school for the next few weeks.

"Umm, nothing," she said, breathless from exerting so much energy into the claiming of his lips. "Sorry, I just… wanted to kiss you."

"Don't apologize. In fact, do it more often, please." He said, winking down at her.

Kagome finally felt the beginnings of butterflies in the pit of her stomach, and she smiled shyly up at him. Thank God she was reacting even a little to his boyish charms. While the kiss hadn't been mind-blowing like with the hanyou, she'd stuck with her plan and she was sure it would pay off.

"Okay," she agreed, returning a smile of her own. Hojou swooped in and kissed her one more time before moving to the side so she could easily access her locker. Feeling lighter than she had since first stumbling upon all the trouble that was Inuyasha and his cursed mirror, Kagome relaxed into herself again, thankful for Hojou's easy-going attitude. She switched out her books and shut her locker, taking the hand he held out for her.

"Ready for lunch?" He asked, leading her down the hallway, while whistling a nonsensical tune.

"Yeah, I skipped breakfast, I'm pretty hungry."

"Why'd you skip?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I spent the night at Sango's, she was helping me with my extra credit report." Which she hadn't done a damn thing about, now that she thought about it. Oh God, she had a day to write it all up and turn it in. She was going to be up all night again, on top of checking the museum for the hanyou.

"Well eat up, okay? You don't want to get sick." He bumped into her side, letting her know his words had no heavy meaning.

"Who's sick?" Sango asked, falling into place next to Kagome.

"No one yet," Hojou said. "I heard you and Kagome skipped breakfast this morning."

Kagome hoped Sango understood from her body language that she and Hojou were all good and well at this point. Luckily, her friends intuition was usually right on target, and Sango blended in effortlessly with the easygoing atmosphere.

"Yeah, it will be good to get something solid in." She said as they made their way to their usual table in the cafeteria and set their belongings down. "Hojou, why don't you go first? I have to go over an assignment with Kagome real quick."

"Sure thing," Hojou complied, and made his way to the lunch line where he met up with some of his friends.

"So?" Sango asked when he was out of earshot. "How did it go?"

Kagome let out a rush of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Good. It went good. I feel a lot easier around him now."

"That was some kiss you gave him."

"Yeah, well…" She trailed off, embarrassed.

"Did you feel anything?"

She shrugged. "There weren't any sparks, if that's what you're asking. But I wasn't disgusted or anything. It was just a normal kiss. Although, I did feel something like I used to. You know, that butterfly feeling? He winked at me and I felt it."

"That's a good sign."

"Yeah, I hope it gets better though. I just want this to be over and done with."

"Well," Sango signed, "let's head to the museum right after school and check to see if Inuyasha's in the mirror. He should be able to signal you without anyone noticing, right?"

Kagome nodded, remembering the flash of his hand when he'd given her back her memories.

"Okay good. There's no reason to get stuck in the museum after-hours if he's not even there, right?"

"Right." The plan set, Kagome stood and made her way over to Hojou in the lunch line, trying to swallow the flood of nerves that suddenly sprang up. Maybe food would put her in a better mood.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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For an Inuyasha/Kagome story, this fic sure has a lot of Kagome and Hojou making out. Haha.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	12. Chapter 12: Resistance

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Wow, twelve chapters! Thanks for sticking with me, everyone.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter Twelve: Resistance

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Kagome

"What. The fuck. Took you so long?" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome folded her arms over her chest defensively. She and Sango had dropped by the museum after school, where they'd discovered that yes, Inuyasha was back nice and snug in the mirror. They'd had to wait hours at home, where Kagome had hurriedly written up her extra-credit report, before they could go back to the museum at closing time and sneak in the janitor's closet.

Kagome knew Inuyasha was going to be pissed off when he showed himself. She was prepared for that. Which is why her arms were folded defensively over her chest. She jutted out her bottom lip, determined to stay in control this time, no matter what happened. "We had school, Inuyasha," she explained, "and we could hardly get you out in the daytime. But we're here now, so what does it matter?" She tried not to think about his naked chest, or the way Sango's father's pants hung nicely off his hips.

"It fucking matters!" He yelled, pounding at the glass with his fist. Kagome bit her lip against arguing with him. She and Sango had a plan, and she was counting on the plan to keep her strong, to save her relationship with Hojou. She was sticking to the plan.

Sango stepped up then, purposely ignoring Inuyasha's outburst. "How'd you get back in the mirror? Kagome said you just disappeared."

Inuyasha's eyes shot to Kagome then, and she immediately looked away, blushing furiously. She pushed away the vivid memories of their tryst on the rooftop. She didn't dare look at him. She didn't know if she was strong enough to resist if she got caught up in the golden color of his eyes.

"Keh," he said. "I was pulled back in by one of Kikyou's sub-spells. Apparently, no matter where I am, the mirror sucks me back in at daybreak."

"Does that mean you can't be out of the mirror when it's daytime?"

"I assume so." He said. Kagome could feel the heat of his gaze on her. _Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't look at him!_ She chided herself, keeping her eyes firmly planted on his feet.

"Well, how is this going to work then?" Sango asked, continuing her interrogation. "If you get sucked back into the mirror every time the sun rises, how will you have enough time to collect the jewel shards and weaken Kikyou?"

He didn't answer her, and the silence stretched on until Kagome was good and uncomfortable. She fought the urge to glance up and see what he was doing, but she _knew_ he was still looking at her. She could _feel_ it.

"Oi. Wench." He finally called, and Kagome felt herself flinch. "Look at me." He demanded.

She didn't move. She still didn't trust herself to be in control. And if he was spelling her by locking their eyes… she didn't want to chance it."

"Oi!" He barked again, but Sango cut him off this time.

"She's not feeling good today Inuyasha," she said simply. "Just answer the question, how is your plan going to work with you being sucked back into the mirror every day?"

Kagome heard him snort, and she glanced up at him only when she felt the heat of his gaze lessen. He was staring down Sango now, his brows knotted together. She tried to keep her eyes from wandering, from roaming luxuriously over his cute, furry ears, his long, luscious, silvery hair, his abs – _who_ had abs like that? – like they were carved from stone. She tried to keep her eyes from wandering down, down, down to where his pants draped from his hips. She tried to keep her eyes from catching his happy trail, which started a few inches below his perfectly placed belly button.

She failed. Gnawing at her bottom lip she felt the familiar, intense need pool between her legs. Her cheeks betrayed her thoughts; she could feel herself flushing bright red. Somehow she was able to tear her gaze away and fix her eyes firmly on the ground. The image of him was burned into her retinas. She couldn't erase it, even when she closed her eyes.

_Was_ he spelling her? What Sango said earlier made sense. How else could she explain the forceful, passionate feelings that overwhelmed her every time he was near? How could she explain her thoughts turning mushy and muddled? How could she explain her immediate, instant wetness? She subconsciously squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease some of the discomfort she felt.

"There's no way for me to break the spell… _yet_," Inuyasha said. "But I think I know a way to take the mirror with me. Make it portable. That way I won't get sucked all the way back here every time the sun comes up."

Kagome mulled that over in her head, still gazing at the floor. That was good news! If he could make himself portable, then she wouldn't have to keep sneaking back into the museum and breaking him out. They could find Inuyasha someone else willing to help him get out of the mirror every night. There had to be _one_ single, unattached girl out there who didn't mind kissing a deliciously scrumptious hanyou. She felt her eyes start to move up automatically, searching for another glimpse of him, and she immediately slammed them back to the floor. She had to stay strong. _Hojou, think of Hojou_, she chided herself.

Hojou, with his pale brown hair, pretty light brown eyes and easygoing smile… He was so cute, so sweet, and so human; completely and utterly opposite of everything Inuyasha was. Hojou liked her, he really did. He showed it in the things he said and the things he did. Staying with Hojou was the right thing to do. Hojou was comforting. She was used to herself around Hojou. Hojou was safe.

Inuyasha was anything but safe. Inuyasha was jagged glass, ready to slit her open and drink her life away if she slipped and fell. He was the spark of ignition, the gun, cocked back and ready to shoot if she tried to run. He didn't love her like Hojou loved her. But she had felt his _need_ for her every time they touched. And just that one, single touch was what did her in every time.

_Don't let him spell you, don't let him spell you_, Kagome chanted while keeping an ear open to listen to Sango converse with the hanyou.

"Okay, we'll get you out so you can fix the mirror to take it with you." Sango said, stepping closer to the mirror. "All I have to do is kiss you, right?"

Kagome strained herself listening. Inuyasha didn't speak at first, and she wondered what he looked like right now, what his eyes were saying that his mouth was not. _Don't look at him._ She demanded.

"Oi, wench," he called out. And she knew, she just _knew_ he was speaking to her. "Oi!" He said again, injecting a growl into his words. "Look at me."

Kagome refused. She felt her legs shaking. The small quivers started at the tips of her toes and made their way up her thighs.

"Oi." He said, softer this time. "Ka-go-me."

It was like a punch to the gut, her name on his lips. She felt the wind rush out of her, and she knew she was going to give in. Her eyes darted up and locked onto his. Molten lava. The sun. Liquid gold. All rolled into one. His forearm rested against the other side of the glass, his other hand halfway through his hair. And she saw his resentment. His hate. Her eyes widened in reaction to his anger. It radiated from him in waves, crashing over her.

"What?" He sneered, his lips pulling back from his teeth. "Disgusted by what you see? Can't stand to even look at me anymore, much less kiss me my freedom?"

She opened her mouth to argue. Of _course_ he didn't disgust her! Disgusted was the last thing she felt when she looked at him, when she kissed him.

He cut her off, whipping back to lock eyes with Sango. "Whatever, it doesn't fucking matter. Just get me the hell out of here, girl."

She snapped her mouth shut then. Maybe… maybe having him believe she was disgusted was better. So she watched, silent, as Sango stepped up to the mirror.

"It's Sango," she said.

"Yes, I know your fucking name. Get me out."

"Please?" She asked, a mock smile on her face.

"_Please_." He growled.

Kagome stood and watched as Sango put her hands up to the mirror, leaned in and pressed her lips to the glass. There was a strange drop in the pit of her stomach, and it took a few seconds to realize it was the beginning spark of jealousy. She didn't _want_ Sango to kiss Inuyasha, that was something _she_ did. _She_ stumbled upon him in the middle of the night first. _She_ was the one that he'd asked for help.

_What the hell are you thinking? This is _good_, this is to save your relationship with Hojou!_ She bit her tongue against her conflicting emotions, and watched as Inuyasha leaned down, slowly matching his lips to Sango's. Any moment now, she'd see him step out of the mirror, like magic.

Any moment now…

Five seconds went by, then ten. Nothing happened. Sango and Inuyasha stood on opposite sides of the glass, looking like some artist's abstract painting of a reflection. Finally they both pulled back, stumped.

"It didn't work?" Sango asked, looking up at Inuyasha, then back at Kagome, shrugging.

"I don't get it. What did we do different?" Inuyasha mused, bringing his hand up to cup his chin, lost in thought.

"Did you guys kiss differently? Use tongue or something?"

"Sango!" Kagome hissed, flushing bright red.

Sango rolled her eyes and waved her hand at Kagome's griping.

"I didn't think about it, but it make's sense," Inuyasha said, glancing between the two girls. He cursed. "Try it one more time, Sango, maybe I'm wrong."

Sango shrugged, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips. "Inuyasha, if you _want_ to kiss me, you need only ask."

His eyes widened, then he grinned back. "Keh," he said. "Come here."

_What the hell is she doing?_ Kagome seethed on the inside. Sango was supposed to be helping her with her Inuyasha problem, not _flirting_ with the half-youkai sex-god. She grit her teeth and resisted the urge to pull Sango away from the mirror. This was a good thing, she shouldn't care who Inuyasha kissed. It shouldn't bother her. She watched, heart pounding wildly in her chest and they leaned in again, pressing their lips onto the glass.

No magical glowing, no hanyou stepping out of the mirror. Sango and Inuyasha both pulled back again. He knotted his eyebrows and shook his head. His eyes slipped to Kagome.

"Sorry." He said, his voice flat. "Looks like you're it."

"What do you mean, she's it?" Sango asked.

"It looks like Kagome's the only one who can kiss me free. I thought that might be the case, but I had to be sure."

"Why do you think that?"

He shrugged. "Another of Kikyou's sub-spells perhaps? Maybe she's spelled it so that she can only free me. And your friend being her doppelganger…" He let the rest hang.

Kagome felt her heart quicken at the idea that she _was_ somehow special in all this. That he needed her, not anyone else, to help him. But then her stomach dropped, realizing what it meant. She didn't think she'd be able to control herself if she kissed him. Of course. _Of course_ she'd be the only one able to free him from the mirror. Dread crept over her. She stayed rooted in place as Sango walked over, reaching for her hand.

"It's okay," she mouthed. "Just think about Hojou. Do it quick."

Nodding, trying to quell the shaking in her hands, she moved towards the mirror, her eyes locked firmly on the ground in front of her feet, until she was right in front of him. She could see his bare feet, half-hidden under the pants he'd borrowed from Sango's father. If she closed her eyes while she kissed him, if she refrained from looking at him at all, _maybe_ she could get through it. _Hojou… think of Hojou…_

"Still can't look at me, wench?" Inuyasha snapped, and she winced at the bitterness in his voice. He moved, too quick for her to see. He was suddenly in front of her, sitting on his haunches, his eyes level with her own. As soon as her gaze locked to his, she was lost. Soft eyes and brown hair faded to golden and silvery platinum. Inuyasha filled her to the brim. He pierced through her. She felt naked in front of him, like he could read her very soul.

Slowly, she leaned in, heart racing, blood boiling in her veins. She pressed her lips to the cool glass, now a familiar sensation, as her eyes drifted shut.

His lips were warm against her, and there was that feeling again, that warmth that was so addicting, that spread through her like fire. His shoulders were free, then his hands, and he wrapped his fingers around her shoulders as he stepped fully from the mirror. Sighing into him, melting at his touch, Kagome opened her mouth to him, inviting him in.

He ripped away from her suddenly, digging into her shoulders before pushing her violently to the ground. She shrieked as she landed on her backside, eyes wide, staring up at him, shocked. "Wha-?" She asked.

"Hey!" Sango shouted, running to her friend's side. She placed a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder. "What was that for?"

Inuyasha ignored her, keeping his eyes fixed on Kagome. "Wouldn't want to have you kissing me too long," he spat. "Since I disgust you and all." The he turned and walked back to the mirror to study the frame.

She sat there, mouth agape, on the floor in the middle of the museum. Why was he so pissed off at her? It wasn't fair! She wasn't acting this way because she _wanted_ to, it wasn't her fault she couldn't control all these new, extreme emotions. It wasn't like she'd been asked to be dragged into any of this. She'd been _happy_ before her life started to fall apart.

In fact, the way she saw it, it was _his_ damn fault that she was acting like this. If he wasn't such a damn good kisser, moaning into her mouth and grinding up against her, she wouldn't be all messed up in the head! If he hadn't shown himself to her in the first place, she'd have gone on her merry way, doing things like homework and dating her boyfriend. Did he think she _wanted_ to be here, in the middle of the night, in a deserted museum, setting him free from his stupid magic spell? _Again_. How dare he act all offended, as if she'd done something to insult him? He'd been insulting _her_ constantly since he first showed himself to her! Well, screw him, she wasn't going to take anymore of his crap.

Pushing Sango's hand away, she stood on shaky feet, took two very angry steps towards him and folded her arms. "Hey." She said. "What is your problem?"

"_My_ problem?" He growled, spinning on his heel to face her. "I don't have a fucking problem, _you're_ the one that can't stand to fucking _look_ at me, much less touch me."

"I'm looking at you _now_, aren't I?" She exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, good for you, I'd give you a pat on the head like a good little girl if I didn't think you'd vomit from the contact."

"Now wait just a minute, I-"

"No, _you_ fucking wait a minute. You don't have to make excuses, I know what you are. Fucking racist bitch."

Kagome reared back as if he'd just slapped her. "R-_Racist_?!" She shrieked, disbelief coloring her features. "_Racist_?"

"Yeah," he growled, taking another step towards her. "Racist. You don't have to fucking hide that you think I'm a monster. It's not the first time I've had someone react that way about me being half-human or half-youkai." He shook his head in disgust. "Have to say though, I thought you were better than that."

"I-I-I'm not a racist!" She exclaimed, following him as he turned and stalked back to the mirror. "Hey- hey!" She cried, reaching up and grabbing a handful of his hair, attempting to tug his head toward her. He didn't budge, of course.

"Just… Just go stand with your friend and let me work." He snapped, refusing to look at her.

Dejected and horrified at the very thought of her being _racist_, Kagome turned and obeyed him, stomping her anger out as she made her way to where Sango stood. "I am _not_ a racist." She seethed.

"Of course you're not." She agreed, patting her on the arm. She dropped her voice then, whispering directly into Kagome's ear. "So how was it?"

"How was what?" Kagome whispered back.

"The kiss! Did it work? Were you able to resist? Even a little?"

She felt herself flush again. She was doing that a lot tonight. Biting her lip, she shook her head. "It's useless. As soon as I look at him, I'm done for."

Sango nodded. "It's too bad the mirror didn't work for me. It would have been a good test to determine if he was spelling you or not."

Smart Sango.

"Oi, stand back." Inuyasha called over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Sango asked.

"Just get back a couple of feet, I'm breaking this damn thing."

"Um…" Kagome spoke up. "You're breaking it? Is that safe?"

"Keh!" He spat, still refusing to look her way. "If I work fast enough it should be. Now will you two move back or do I have to pick you up like a couple of baby girls and _put_ you where you need to be?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome gripped Sango's wrist and led her further away from the mirror.

Inuyasha walked nonchalantly over to the display to the right of the mirror. It was the hilt of a sword, the blade having been broken off years and years ago. He reached out and picked it up out of the display case before walking with the same careless strut back to the mirror.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure you just tripped like, a dozen silent alarms." Sango informed him.

"Doesn't matter." He waved her words away. Then he sucked in a sharp breath of air and raised the sword hilt behind his head. "Here goes nothing," Kagome heard him mutter as he brought the sword hilt around in an arch, like the swing of a baseball bat.

It struck the mirror with so much force the air around her shook. Glass shot out around him as it broke into dozens of pieces, all different sizes. They clattered to the ground, and quickly, without saying a word, Inuyasha reached up and gripped both hands around the bottom right corner of the frame. It bent and twisted under his grip, and he ripped the two sides apart, repeating the same on the top right corner, coming away with a long, thin side of the frame. Haphazardly stepping around the glass he found one of the bigger pieces and plucked it out of the pile, moving to a clear area before setting it down. His ears twitched, and he sighed.

"Here they come." He said.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Now we're getting somewhere, yeah? Hope you guys enjoyed! Also, does anyone know how to change your username on MM.O? I can't figure it out, and my username on there is oooold, I don't like it anymore. Cookies in the shape of Inuyasha to whoever helps me out!

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	13. Chapter 13: The Solution

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Oh hey guys, I'm back! And what's this? 100 REVIEWS?! Haha, I love you guys, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad to be back with another chapter. Actually, this probably would have been done sooner, but I got caught up reading a fanfiction and couldn't seem to get _anything_ done until I'd read it all the way through. Don't you just love/hate it when that happens?

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

Dedication: Time for another chapter dedication! This chapter is dedicated to Fiery Dancer, for posting the 100th review for YITM! Thank you for your reviews, Fiery Dancer! And thanks for sticking with me.

A special shout out to everyone that's been reviewing so far! You guys are awesome. No seriously. You are.

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Chapter 13: The Solution

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Kagome

"Here they come." Inuyasha muttered, placing the large piece of glass and frame on the floor and stretching his arms out above his head as he stood.

Kagome could hear the guards now, their heavy footsteps and jangling keys echoing loudly off the walls. A few seconds later she caught sight of the bobbing flashlights as they made their way down the stairs and rounded the corner. Inuyasha walked past to head them off, mumbling his spell words as he went. The guard nearest to him took out his baton, gripping it in his right hand while holding his left out in front of him.

"S-stay right there!" He called, eyes widening as he took in Inuyasha's unusual features.

Inuyasha didn't stop, he moved right towards him, even when the guard raised his baton, ready to strike him down. He lashed is hand out, his clawed fingers wrapping around the steel, and crunched it in his hands.

Kagome shivered, her mind flashing back to the rooftop, where those same hands had been oh-so-gentle, she now realized; those same hands that could crush steel to pieces. He'd pushed those fingers of his up inside her, filled her with them for only seconds before-

"He's doing it again," Sango whispered, and Kagome was yanked back to the present. Inuyasha was looking at both the guards now, his words specific and direct. He ordered them to calm down, that they had called him here themselves for maintenance on the mirror, and that they wanted watch him work, which he would happily allow them to do. That same sort of glazed look settled over both guards, and they agreed readily.

Inuyasha turned and walked past the girls again, his eyes locking onto Kagome. She felt that familiar hitch in her breath when their gaze met, and she wondered, is that how he spelled her? Was he saying something to her to make her feel this way? Did she get that same, empty, I'll-do-what-you-say air about her when she felt overly compelled to kiss him? To run her hands up his chest and into his hair?

She would have to ask Sango later, when Inuyasha was off doing whatever it was he needed to do and she could get her friend alone. She frowned, her eyes still fastened to him. She didn't think she acted like the guards. Sango would have mentioned it. But then again, what was stopping him from spelling Sango too? How could they ever really know? What was to stop Inuyasha from erasing people's memories, just like Kikyou had erased hers?

He ripped his gaze away from her then, rolling his eyes as he passed by and muttering an agitated "Keh," before kneeling down in front of the giant glass shard and continuing his work.

He still thought she was judging him. What a jerk. As if the word racist could ever be described when it came to her! The idea was absolutely absurd. She wanted to rip his hair out and pull on his ears for thinking that of her. She wanted to tell him that she was the least racist person in the whole world. But then how could she explain her sudden unwillingness to look at him? She did _not_, in a million years, want to admit that she was so attracted to him she felt she might break apart at any moment.

Inuyasha started speaking again, words she couldn't understand this time, and she recognized it as the same strange language Kikyou had used when re-spelling him back into the mirror, the same strange language he'd used on the guards both times. It didn't sound like any language she was currently aware of. It was off somehow. Alien. Inuyasha had said it was an ancient language when he was out last, but that couldn't be the only different thing about those words. She could almost _feel_ the power as he spoke. She shivered.

The air stirred around her as Inuyasha's voice carried on, gathering around him and whipping hair up off his back, giving the impression of weightlessness. He bent the golden frame around the piece of mirror he'd picked out, the lettering etched into the gold glowing, just as she remembered from their first meeting. The frame stuck to the mirror, and the air died down. He gave a shout of triumph and stood, picking up the mirror and holding it out at arms length, giving it a good once-over.

"Looks about right," he said, turning back to both girls with a grin on his face. "I think this might actually work."

"Great. Now what?" Sango asked, jamming her hands into her pockets.

"Now we get out of here. With the mirror, of course." He walked up to the guards, who waited patiently for his next command. "All done here, everything looks good. You'll let us out."

"Come on, I'll let you guys out." The guard said, his partner nodding enthusiastically.

Shaking her head, Sango rolled her eyes to Kagome and took her hand. They trailed along behind Inuyasha, who whistled blissfully, following the guards out. "You will go back to work and forget we were here. Erase the security tapes," he said as they stepped outside.

"Have a nice night now," the guard said, waving cheerfully, and then he was gone, back inside the museum.

"Well," Sango said. "I guess that's that. What are you going to do now?"

"Keh," he said, placing the bottom of the mirror down and leaning against it for support. "What do you mean, 'what am I going to do now'? I'm going after the jewel shards of course."

"I see. Okay, well, what's your plan for getting out of the mirror again come tomorrow night?"

He frowned, "I don't get what you're saying. Kagome is going to let me out again come tomorrow night."

"Er-" Kagome started to speak, but Sango jumped in for her.

"Kagome has school and family. She can't go with you."

His eyebrows shot up at her blunt words. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really. So unless you plan on keeping yourself in her bedroom closet during the daytime, you're going to have to come up with another plan."

"There _is_ no other plan," he hissed. "She's the only one who can release me. You can't do it, no one else can do it. She can!" He whipped a sharp claw out to point at Kagome.

"If you think for one second that you can just-"

"Oi, shut up, bitch, this has nothing to do with-"

"Bitch?!" Sango exclaimed, fisting her hands at her at her side and falling into a stance. "I'll show you what a bitch is. I don't care if you're half-youkai, I'll kick your ass!"

He pulled his lips over his teeth, his grin showing his fangs, extending his claws. "I'd like to see you try, you-"

"Hey – HEY!" Kagome shouted, stamping her foot for good measure. Both Sango and Inuyasha whipped their heads around to glare at her. "Stop it! This is ridiculous, there's no point in killing each other over-"

"Keh," Inuyasha interrupted. "Like some mere human could even _hope_ to kill me."

"I said _shut it_." Kagome fumed, stepping in between them and glairing up at Inuyasha. "Listen, I'm sorry you've got all this… this _crap_ going on, but _I can't help you_. I've got school and a family and a boyfriend, and honestly, I don't think I can handle whatever it is you think I need to do. So good luck, I'm going home."

He pulled his head back then, shocked.

Feeling somewhat empowered at her bravery for facing him head-on, Kagome grabbed onto Sango's arm and dragged her away. She could feel herself shaking. She'd done it! She'd looked him in the eyes and practically _shouted_ at him and she'd somehow resisted the urge to throw herself at him. In fact, for a few seconds, she'd been so angry that all thoughts of his lips or his abs or his golden eyes had completely disappeared.

"Good Job, Kagome," Sango muttered, falling into place next to her, "but next time let me pound him."

Kagome smiled at her best friend. Sango's family were descended from a long line of martial-artists, and it was the one sport her parents had insisted that she and her brother Kohaku participate in, just as her father had, and his father before him, and his father before him. Sango still trained daily, and toured around the country participating in tournaments, which Kagome always thought was the coolest thing in the entire world. Still, it probably would have done no good again Inuyasha's youkai side.

"Not that I don't appreciate you sticking up for me," Kagome reassured, "but I'd rather not see Inuyasha rip your head off."

"Yeah, well-" Sango started as they turned the corner, walking towards their neighborhood, and then froze, her eyes wide, mouth open.

Kagome mimicked her expression. Inuyasha stood in front of them, looking pissed, the mirror tucked under his left arm. How had he gotten in front of them? She hadn't seen him pass them at all.

"Don't think for one second," he seethed, stepping closer, his eyes glued to Kagome, "that I can't fucking track you down wherever you go. You're not getting away from me, wench."

Sango immediately pushed Kagome behind her, fists coming up and dropping into a stance again. "Back off." She hissed.

"This doesn't fucking concern you." He spat, narrowing his eyes at her. "You're like a fucking gnat: you're annoying. Get out of my way."

"You get out of _our_ way!" Kagome demanded over Sango's shoulder. She wished she'd had her friend teach her some self-defense. She certainly did not feel as confident as Sango did at the moment.

He paused, then grinned, stepping to the side. Both girls tensed, as if waiting for a trap to spring, but he only swept his hand around, gesturing them to walk by. Slowly, Sango keeping herself between Kagome and Inuyasha, they moved past him.

"Keep walking," Sango muttered, keeping her eyes on the hanyou.

Would he really attack them? Kagome wouldn't have thought so, but she didn't really know him. He could be completely unbalanced, totally insane, and how would she know? Anger swept through her, that she had gotten herself so deep into all this. And now Sango was involved too! She wished more than anything that she'd gone straight to security that night, instead of hiding from them. Now that she thought about it, they probably would have believed her. The security tapes had probably caught Hiromi's attack. They probably would have simply called her parents and let her out. She was so stupid.

"Fuck," Sango bit out.

"What?" Kagome tensed for an attack.

"He's actually _following_ us."

She sneaked a peek over Sango's shoulder to see that he was indeed following them. He strutted along a few feet behind, whistling that same nonsensical tune like he didn't have a care in the world.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, reaching out to grip Sango's hand. "He's going to follow me home."

Sango huffed. "No he's not, we'll go to my place again. Kohaku's there and he's just as good as I am. We'll be safer."

Kagome worried at her bottom lip, still not convinced. "I don't know, Sango, maybe we should just go to the police."

She shook her head once, sharp. "No. They won't believe us, and I highly doubt he'll show himself anyway. They'll think we're drunk. Or crazy."

"Okay, but-"

"_Kagome_," Sango said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you." She replied without hesitation.

Okay then, try to relax a little. I have a plan, but I need you level headed. Come on," she bumped her shoulder playfully, "you're usually braver than this. Where's the Kagome I'm used to?"

"Sorry, It's just… I'm still overwhelmed."

Sango frowned. "I know. But we got through letting Inuyasha out of the mirror and you were fine. Although, I'm not sure we should have let him out at all, now"

Kagome agreed.

"However," she continued, "at lease we know he'll be stuck again in the morning."

Oh, she hadn't thought of that! So they just had to get through tonight. Feeling strengthened by her best friend, Kagome nodded. It took a few minutes more to get to Sango's, and Inuyasha kept pace with them, whistling the whole way.

Approaching the last few feet to Sango's house, both girls sprinted towards the front door, Kagome leaping to the side as Sango slammed the door shut and locked it with both the knob lock and deadbolt. She placed her back against the wood as they took a second to catch their breath.

Kagome could hear Kohaku in the family room, playing a video game. Some sort of fighting game from the sound of it. He must have heard the front door slam, because he appeared a few moments later.

"Hey sis, what's up?" He asked, shooting a curious glance Kagome's way.

"Kohaku, help Kagome lock all the windows. I'll get the back door." Sango ordered.

He stiffened immediately, understanding that something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Just do it. Quick." Sango pushed off the door and headed towards the kitchen, and without questioning any further, Kohaku started towards the family room windows.

"Kagome, get the ones upstairs." He said.

Nodding, Kagome took the steps two at a time, starting with the bathroom window, which was the first door to the right. She made her way down the hall, going in and out of the rooms, locking each window as quickly as she could.

_It won't make much difference locked or not, you saw what he did to that mirror, you saw what he did to the guards steel weapon,_ her inner voice pestered, but she pushed it away as she entered Sango's parent's bedroom, heading towards the window. It was true, wooden doors and glass would not keep him out, but locking everything made her feel better anyway. And it helped to squelch the fear of what he might try to do.

Sango entered the room just as she finished the last lock, heading for her parent's closet.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, moving to stand in the closet doorway.

She glanced at her as she searched the top shelf with her hands. "I'm looking for my dad's handgun."

It was Kagome's turn to stiffen. "What? A gun? Do you think you should-"

"Regular martial arts weapons aren't going to do much to him, even my Hiraikotsu probably won't do much damage." Sango snapped, her hands finding the box she was looking for. She pulled it off the shelf. It was black and secured with a padlock. "I might not be able to knock him out with my fists, but I _know_ the bastard won't be immune to bullets." She carried the case to the bed and dropped it on the comforter, spinning the lock to the correct numbers and popping it open. "Don't worry, I've been taking shooting lessons for years now."

"How can you be sure it will work?" Kagome asked, "What if it doesn't injure him? What if he's like Superman, where bullets just bounce off him?"

Sango picked up the handgun. It was sleek and black, and Kagome shivered at the sight of it. Guns had always made her uncomfortable, and this was her first time seeing one so up close. She watched as her friend checked for bullets, cocked it back and released the safety, turning to lock eyes with Kagome.

"This isn't make-believe, and that asshole is not a superhero. Youkai bleed just like the rest of us."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. Sango was _so fucking cool_. Glad to have Sango as a friend rather than an enemy, Kagome nodded. "I have to finish the windows in your room." She said.

Sango nodded. "Let's go." And followed Kagome out of the door.

The last room at the end of the hallway was Sango's and Kagome reached for the knob, opening the door and stepping inside. She screamed when she came face-to-face with a very angry Inuyasha.

He stood with his legs set, his body seeming to fill up the room. The mirror was propped up against Sango's bed, leaving his arms free. They were crossed over his chest as he glared down at her.

"This game is getting fucking tiring." He growled.

"Kagome, back!" Sango shouted as she thrust herself between them, raising her gun like a professional, pointing it at his chest.

Inuyasha made no movement to get out of the way. His eyes shot daggers down at her. "And what the fuck do you think you're going to do to me with that stupid thing?" He growled.

"If you move, you're dead." She explained.

"Keh." He reached out with his left hand to grab the weapon. Sango whipped it two centimeters to the right and fired.

The sound was defining. Kagome clapped her hands over her ears as they rang, eyes wide, sickened by the spurt of blood that shot from his right bicep.

"FUCK!" He roared, clapping his uninjured hand over the wound. Blood oozed out between his fingers. Kagome watched as that same blood red color seeped into the whites of his eyes. She took a step back, terrified. She'd never heard of that side-effect from a gunshot before.

"Next one's in your head, asshole." Sango said.

He growled and knocked the gun out of her hands. It went flying across the room and thumped against the wall, falling to the floor, useless. His hand went for her throat next, and he picked her up by it and slammed her back into the wall, her feet dangling off the ground.

"Sango!" Kagome screamed, hearing the crack of Sango's skull, watching her friend struggle against his steel grasp.

"What happened?" Kohaku shouted, darting into the room. He froze, mouth falling open at the scene in front of him; the blood oozing from Inuyasha's arm, Sango's struggle to free herself so she could breathe. "Let go of my sister!" He cried, launching himself at the hanyou.

"Kohaku, no!" Kagome reached for him but he was too quick. He went for Inuyasha's eyes, his fingers coming together to form the shape of a spear, lashing out at his target.

Inuyasha reached out with his injured arm and gripped Kohaku by the back of his shirt, lifting him off the floor and tossing him onto the bed like a rag doll. Kagome's eyes darted to the gun, left forgotten in the corner of the room. If she could just get to it… She moved slowly, hoping he'd be too focused on Sango to notice…

"Hold it." He growled, red eyes searing into her. "If you fucking touch that idiotic contraption, I'll come for you next." He promised. She stopped, glaring at him. How had it come to this?

"Now," he said, taking in a deep, calming breath. Kagome watched with fascination as the red started to receded from his eyes, again becoming the golden color she was accustomed to. "Everybody calm the fuck down, and listen to what I have to say."

"...If you want to live, that is." He added with a menacing grin.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Holy shit, that was crazy. Sango is a total badass. I love her.

Also, I've shot a gun like, once in my whole life, so please excuse any inconsistencies.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	14. Chapter 14: Bound by Power, Destroyed by

Youkai in the Mirror

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Extra-Long Author's Note: Hello everyone! Back again! It's so weird, cause there's so much I have planned out for this story, but there are already a ton of chapters. I had a couple PM's after I last posed about why my chapters are shorter this time around, so I'd like to answer it here in this reeeeallly long author's note. I've usually, in the past, written very long chapters (as you can see in Pretty Kagome: Revised and From the Future), but I've never been able to finish anything that way. It's almost like I lose interest in completing the chapters when they get too long, which is why I decided to experiment with this fic, write shorter chapters, and see if I can actually finish it. With 13 chapters in this fic, it evens out to about three of my normal, long chapters. I'm able to update more frequently this way, write more frequently this way, and plan better as well.

I also plan on buffing up these chapters after I've finished writing the whole story. Think of this as my first draft, so to speak. I'll be going through them all after it's all done, most likely adding in details or scenes that I've deemed too unimportant the first time through.

Aaaanyway, just wanted to let everyone know at once. Sorry, this was so long. On to YITM!

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

Review Worth Mentioning: So, vampireinu95 wrote in her review: "Some odd reason I just imagine sango as batman XD." And it totally made me want to see Sango as Batman and being a bad-ass. But I suck at drawing! Seriously, my talents skipped right over that and went to writing instead. Soooo if anyone with drawing talent wants to draw Sango as Batman and then send me a link or whatevs so that I can look at it and ohh and ahh, that would freaking make my day.

Okay, NOW onto the story!

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Chapter 14: Bound by Power, Destroyed by Rage

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Kikyou

Kikyou stood in her bedroom naked as the day she was born. She stood in the very center, which was marked by a large, white circle painted on the hardwood floor. A pedestal had been welded there, and the wide basin at the top was filled to the brim with fine-grained sand. So fine was this sand that it felt like powder as it filtered through her fingers.

She let the sand drain completely from her hands before she pushed them back into the basin, sifting her fingers through and picking up another handful. This time she let her pupils un-focus, and her bedroom blurred in front of her eyes. And as the sand trickled slowly back into the basin, she was suddenly back, three hundred years in the past, a visitor to her own timeline.

She could still feel the sand slipping through her fingers, but her bedroom was gone, and her modern attire was gone, and the world had changed completely around her. She wore her priestess robes again, her trusted bow and quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder and snug at her back. She had been walking down a familiar path when she'd slipped unnoticed into her own skin, and she watched through her own eyes as she continued down the mountainside.

She was on her way back to the village, to meet up with her elder sister, Kaede, with a fresh supply of herbs and medicinal flower stems. She could hear herself humming a tune, one her dearly departed mother had sung to her and her sister when they had been children. The path began to even out as she neared the village, and she felt her heart speed up as Inuyasha's familiar aura passed through her.

He was waiting for her, a few feet before the forest broke into the clearing, leaning against a giant, solid tree as she came upon him, his arms crossed, that familiar, confident smirk on his face. He broke out into a grin as she neared.

"Hey you," he said, a soft edge to his tone that he only reserved for when speaking to her.

This particular meeting was one of Kikyou's favorite memories, one that she had sifted back through time to experience again and again. Inuyasha did things to her. The sound of his voice and the way his eyes pierced through her and the shock of intense need every time he touched her practically drove her mad. She never quite had the control she was so used to when he was around. It made her nervous. It also made her so incredibly aroused she felt she might fall apart at the seams.

This time was no different. Dressed in that dirty fire-rat coat he loved so much, his feet bare and his sword resting snug at his hip, he moved towards her with grace only youkai possessed, his ears twitching, his grin playful.

"What are you doing here?" She heard herself ask. Even though Kikyou knew of the events that were about to play out, she still felt the unsettled nerves of her past self. Past Kikyou had worried endlessly about spending too much time around the hanyou, worried about what others would think, even though it was a struggle for her to keep away, the pull towards him too great to ignore.

"What do you think I'm doing here? I caught your scent about halfway down the mountain, I figured I'd head you off here before you go back and do whatever boring things it is you do for the villagers." He stepped closer.

"Inuyasha, we have to be careful, if we're seen-"

"No one will see us, everyone is out in the fields, and your sister is holed up in your hut." His ears twitched atop his head. "Oh, and there's a group of men out hunting for dinner, but they won't head this way," he added.

Kikyou sighed and tried to side-step him. She was having a hard time, as always, refusing his advances, which made her try harder. "Inuyasha, can you not wait until our agreed time of meeting? It's only three days until-"

"I can't wait three days," he interrupted her again, moving to cut her off. He swept her up into his arms, and pressed his lips against her.

She felt that familiar shock, that absolute need as her feet lifted off the ground. He had her arms pinned at her sides in his bear hug, she couldn't wiggle them free. Captive against him, she melted, letting him take what he wanted.

Present Kikyou could feel it all. This was the reason why she came back again and again, reliving this moment as many times as she could. She let her past self's emotions run through her. It was like a drug, these feelings, and she was an addict in her present, an addict cut off forever from her addiction.

That's why she came back to these moments. To get high again. To feed her addiction.

Her past self was lost in these feelings, in Inuyasha's arms. Growling, the hanyou wrapped his clawed fingers around her bottom and brought her legs to wrap around his hips, walking her further back into the trees, where the dense foliage would provide better cover for them.

He pushed her back up against a tree, carefully – he was always so careful with her – and kissed her breath away. Quick kisses mixed with deep, intense, soul-probing kisses, and his hands roamed, teasing her in a way she'd grown accustomed to. Yet she started to sense something different this time. Inuyasha's movements were urgent – desperate almost. His hands reached to her waist ties and he hesitated only a second before he started to work deftly at the knots.

Kikyou broke away then, head tilting back to look into his eyes. "What are you doing, Inuyasha?" She asked, breathless.

"Keh," he murmured, eyes showing everything that was tender about him, so different from the rash, destructive, uncontrollable brat she'd first met two years ago. "I can't stand it anymore, Kikyou. I want to claim you. I want other youkai to know that you are mine."

She felt herself frown, and she tried to detangle herself from him, but his hands tightened on her hips, holding her in place. "Inuyasha, you cannot claim me, not as you are now."

His face fell slightly, his smile sad. "I know you're worried about your purity-" he started.

"Of _course_ I'm worried about my purity," she cut him off. They'd had this conversation now what had to be a hundred times. "If I mate with you as you are now, I will lose my priestess-hood. I will lose my purity and my power."

"But you don't know that for _sure_." He insisted stubbornly, still keeping her in place. His bottom lip pushed out, and he somewhat resembled a pouting child.

"The risk is too great," she pleaded with him, willing him to understand. "Which is why when I finally defeat Naraku and the jewel is purified we can use it to change you, to make you fully human. And _then_ you can claim me."

Reluctantly, he slowly let her slip to the ground, placing her gently on her feet. "I still don't like it. A claiming by a human male is not the same as a claiming by a youkai, or even a hanyou. You will not be protected from advances by other youkai, and a claiming certainly won't stop human men. Plus," he bit at his bottom lip, showing a fang, "I can't protect you very well as a human. I'm too weak."

Smiling, Kikyou reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. "I can protect us well enough, Inuyasha. I am very powerful."

"I know you are," he said. "But I am the man, I should be doing the protecting. I cannot sit on the side while you risk your life to protect mine."

"Hush now," she said. "You told me you love me. Did you mean your words?"

"Of course I did," he replied without hesitation.

"Then prove it to me by waiting to become human. If you love me, if you truly love me as I love you, you will become human so as not to rob me of my powers. If you truly love me, you will wait to claim me."

He exhaled, slow and powerful and impatient. He nodded once.

"Good," Kikyou purred, releasing his face and moving her hand down to the hardness pressed against his hakama, and pushed her palm to him, rubbing up and down, creating friction. "Let us do as we've been doing Inuyasha. It is enough for me right now. I love you. Let me show you." And she wrapped her hand around him, hakama and all, and pumped at his erection through his clothing.

He let out a hiss of pleasure before capturing her lips.

This was it, this was the moment present Kikyou came back to feel alive for. She melted as Inuyasha brought his own hand down to the apex of her thighs, his thumb finding the little nub that made her feel so deliciously alive and created friction of his own.

Pleasure mounted inside of her, and she panted into his mouth, kissing him with everything she had.

He came first, crying out her name and releasing himself into his hakama. Panting, his orgasm leaving his legs wobbly, he knelt to the ground in front of her, pressing his mouth against that same little nub, sucking and nipping at it through her clothing. His fingers probed at her through the rough material, and with this, she finally, finally rose to her peek and then-"

"_Lady Kikyou_."

Instantly she was ripped away from her body, her vision blurring, disconnecting from the past and forced into the present. She was back in her room, inside the white, painted circle, the last few bits of sand falling between her fingers and dropping into the basin. Her present body ached without release. Rage filled her. She whipped her head around to glare at the human male she considered her right hand. Her lackey. Her pet. She wanted to throttle him.

His head was bowed, his knees tucked under, his dark hair covering his eyes. "Lady Kikyou," he said again from his position on the floor. He didn't move. He knew better. He had been with her long enough to realize what he'd done was almost unforgivable.

"What," she asked, her voice icy and flat, "is so important that you interrupt me while I sift time?"

"Lady Kikyou, my work for tonight is done."

"And?"

"And everything went as planned, as it always does."

Stepping away from the basin, Kikyou grabbed a bathrobe she had discarded on her bed earlier and covered her nudity before approaching the man, placing her fingers on his head. "Arise."

He did as he was told, standing a good six inches over her; his eyes, which had long since lost their disobedient spark, were kept firmly glued to the floor. His staff jingled as he rose, the noise echoing off the walls. He kept his right hand closed firmly into a fist, his prayer beads clutched in his grip.

Reaching up, she wrapped her fingers around the short ponytail he kept at the base of his neck, yanking his head back and pushing him closer to her, forcing his eyes to meet hers. She stared long and hard into those eyes. They were the loveliest shade of violet. Never before had she met anyone with that particular color. Perhaps that is why she was so fond of the monk. Other than his wonderful, powerful, cursed hand of course. And the fact that his exorcism powers were actually legitimate, which was hard to find these days amongst all the fakes.

"Miroku," she purred, "I still do not understand why you could not wait until my sifting was over and I was satisfied. You would have found me in a much better mood." She pulled back and slapped him hard across the face. Normally it wouldn't have done much, but Kikyou wasn't normal, and putting some powerful 'oomph' into the slap gave her the edge she needed. When he turned to face her again his lip had split open and a trickle of blood oozed its way down his chin.

"I'm very sorry, my lady," he said, without the barest hint of remorse in his voice. His eyes, so lovely, gazed at her as they always had: with absolute hate.

"Dearest monk," she said, keeping her grip on his hair tight as she wiped the trickle of blood away with her thumb. "I do wish that you would just relax a bit. You might even enjoy your duties to me then."

"I enjoy them my lady," he lied.

Kikyou rolled her eyes, releasing his head with a shove before turning and stalking back to the basin. "It is almost midnight. Prepare for our departure to the mirror."

"As you wish." Was all he said before turning on the spot and disappearing in a whirl of purple robes and the jangle of his staff.

Kikyou moved towards her closet to get dressed. She always made sure to look her best in front of Inuyasha. She wanted to remind him every time he saw her what he was missing. What he had lost when he had betrayed her all those years ago.

It was all part of keeping things under her control. She had been since she could remember, and her need for it had grown as her powers had. Once she had defeated Naraku those three hundred years past and taken the jewel, and Inuyasha had turned his back on her, what could she do but take control of everything herself?

And that's exactly what she had done. Taken control. Used the jewel not to turn Inuyasha human as originally planned, but to boost her power, to make sure that _no one_ could betray her again. To make sure that the plan she foresaw for the future of humanity was kept firmly under her thumb. She was, in most terms of the word, a God. With her abilities at the level they were and with her capability to sift through time, she, in essence, was the one guiding the path the human race must follow in order to survive.

And although her addiction to Inuyasha caused her to crave her past memories, enough to go back and relive them over and over again, she knew he was only that: an addiction. And there was simply no such thing as an addiction that was good for you.

Youkai, and yes, hanyou too, would be the downfall of the human race. She knew this to be fact. Absolute. Like the sun would always rise, like the tide would never cease to ebb and flow, she knew that youkai were to bring humans to ruin. So she protected the human race as if they were her own children, and in a way, they were.

And so be it if she had to kill youkai. So be it if she had to take control of certain beings, both human and youkai, to do some of the work she could not do herself? Over the years many youkai had fallen to her hands, and many had been used for a good purpose as well.

Inuyasha had been the first, though. The first youkai, even if only half of one, to be used for her greater purpose. He was what sustained her power, and her power was what sustained her immortality. She did not age. She did not die. And it was because of this certain mirror spell, with the one and only youkai she had ever felt anything towards other than hate, that she had to keep going back to re-work her spell over and over again every week.

She tried to explain to Inuyasha over and over in the beginning why his sacrifice was worth it, why it was good that he was forever living in the mirror. For one thing, he had become immortal himself. He never aged, and he never died. Her powers and that mirror sustained him over the centuries.

For another thing, he was what allowed her to keep the human race alive. But even after all those years, he was a stubborn bastard. Those golden yellow eyes that had once gazed upon her with love and adoration now turned to anger and hatred. Not once had he given in and relented to her. Not once did he pass by a chance to try and escape.

…Not that there were many chances of that. Her many sub-spells made it all but impossible.

She shivered with the anticipation of seeing him again, of kissing him free, of letting him out for the night. She had things for him to do, youkai for him to track down. There had been a small surge in youkai power around the outskirts of Nara, and she would need him to check it out and report back to her, see if it was something she should act on immediately or not.

She finished dressing herself, placing the perfect amount of jewelry around her wrists and neck and ears, checking her makeup, making sure everything was right. When Miroku reappeared back into the room, his split lip was healed, and Kikyou was ready to go.

"Come," she said, and Miroku followed her to the basin, stepping inside the white circle and staying close at her side. She pressed her fingers into the white sand, submerging them up to her wrists before pulling them halfway out. She began to circle her hands in intricate patters through the sand, sifting and pushing as her bedroom disappeared. She closed her eyes, concentrating.

Sifting herself through present space was not the same as sifting herself through time. While a representation of her body stayed behind in her bedroom when she visited her memories of the past or the many realities of the future, her body moved with her to the museum. She was physically there, just as she had been physically in her room.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard Miroku take in a sharp breath. Her dead, beating heart stopped.

The mirror was broken. Shattered. Destroyed.

But how could this have happened?

Kikyou whipped her head around to glare at the monk beside her, who's wide eyes matched her own.

"Miroku," she hissed, "what do you know?"

"Nothing, my lady." It was one of his few honest answers, she could see it him, feel it in him.

She seethed, her power pulsing beneath her skin. There were only two outcomes to the destruction of the mirror. Either it broke with Inuyasha still inside, which would mean that he was trapped forever, or…

Or he had _escaped_.

Slowly, oh-so-carefully, Kikyou moved towards the mirror, reaching out with her powers, feeling for the brush of the mirror's spell against her.

Nothing. It was dead.

Her eyes shot down and narrowed at the ripped, golden frame.

He'd figured out how to escape this mirror, although from the looks of it, he'd only realized how to transfer the spell, not how to break it.

But even so, how? _How?_ It was impossible for him to leave unless someone kissed him free, and he could not have possibly talked another girl into granting him a night's freedom so soon after the last. The doppelganger certainly hadn't come back, she'd seen to that! No one could retain their memories after Kikyou wove a memory spell. The girl would have been extremely physically ill and nervous if she even stepped one foot inside the museum, and the _only_ way to break that was to get close enough to the mirror.

_Impossible!_ Her mind screamed. _Utterly impossible!_

And yet, the girl had been her doppelganger, almost a copy of her. The proof was in the jewel she had found inside of her. If anyone could push past a memory spell…

_She could_. Her mind taunted.

Kikyou bent down and picked up a glass shard. Inuyasha was getting smart in his old age. How he had realized that making a portable mirror would buy him some time she couldn't guess. But really, it didn't matter in the end. He might have bought himself a day or two, or perhaps even three, but she would track him down, and she would find him, and when she did, she was never letting the bastard out again.

Closing her eyes, the glass shard gripped tightly in her hands, she let her power build up around her, letting the glass tell its story. She listened as it spilled the events of Inuyasha's escape.

"Miroku." Kikyou called, her voice deadly quiet with the urge to keep it together, to keep her control. He was by her side in a flash. "Inuyasha has escaped."

He didn't reply this time, which was smart of him. If she heard his voice right now she might lose it.

"Track him down." She commanded.

He nodded and began the turn, but Kikyou reached out and grabbed onto his robe before he could complete it. "Wait." She said.

She'd have to be smart about this. Tracking Inuyasha would get her nowhere. As long as her doppelganger was on the loose, she would keep coming back to get him. And now that she thought about it, now that she was calm enough, she realized that this whole ordeal was nothing but a simple nuisance. Kikyou could see the big picture. She understood the best action to take. She smiled at Miroku, her new plan firmly set in her head.

"Track the girl down instead. Get her when she's alone and then call me. I want to have a little chat with my other self."

In a rush of purple robes he was gone.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Well then. That's that. This is another chapter ending that I had to re-write a couple times because: meh. But I'm glad I finally got it out so I'm happy with it.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	15. Chapter 15: Sifting

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: I started this chapter right away because I was more excited to write it than Kikyou's chapter. :D Hope you guys enjoy.

From now on I'll be listing songs I write these chapters to. Cause why not? This chapter was written to Breathturn by Hammock

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 15: Sifting

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Inuyasha

"Hold it." Inuyasha growled. He narrowed his eyes at the doppelganger, letting her know full well that he could track what she was doing, even if he hadn't been looking at her. "If you fucking touch that idiotic contraption, I'll come for you next."

She froze, arm stretched out for the weapon. He watched as she slowly moved away from it, glaring at him.

Good.

He inhaled deeply, forcing the pulsing tide of his demonic aura down inside of him, willing himself away from transformation. Once fully transformed it was hard to stop, especially without his sword.

He kept his gaze pinned to the doppelganger as he felt the redness recede from his vision. The kid who'd tried to gouge his eyes out earlier was unconscious on the bed, although he was breathing, and the infuriating girl who had _shot_ him was currently under the control of his grip, held tight against the wall. The only one he wasn't fully in control of was the infuriating Kikyou-double who called herself Kagome.

"Now," he said, "Everybody calm the fuck down, and listen to what I have to say. …If you want to live that is." And he let both girls know how serious he was by putting as much menace behind his grin as he could. He watched Kagome's face drain of color.

He had her full attention now, which was imperative at this point. Once he lost that, she might do something rash, like _shoot him again_, and he'd slip back out of control, and he really, _seriously_ did not want to kill anyone. Once he morphed to full youkai, he would have no way of protecting them from himself. Kagome's actions in the next few seconds could alter everything.

He tried not to show it on his face, keeping his expression mean and intimidating.

"I am not here to eat you, as you all seem to think I am. I am not here to kill you, _although_," he added quickly as Kagome opened her mouth to argue, "I am not beyond tearing apart the next person to fucking shoot me. _Understood_?"

She nodded, eyes wide, darting from him to her friend and back to him again.

"I'm past you two playing hero. I'm done with this game. You. Doppelganger." He pointed a clawed finger at Kagome, growling his next words. "Pick up the weapon. _Slowly_. If you shoot me with it, I will break your friend's neck." He watched as she sucked in a deep breath and moved slowly, just as he'd instructed, picking up the weapon with her thumb and index finger and bringing it to him.

"N-no!" Her friend bit out.

Inuyasha tightened his grip around her neck. "Shut up."

She coughed.

"Please don't hurt her, she was just trying to protect me." Kagome said, holding the weapon out for him. Inuyasha reached out and swiped the newfangled torture device from her, crushing it into a deformed metal ball in his hand. Then he let it drop to the floor.

He was expecting her to let out a shriek of fear or something, but she looked relieved instead. Which was strange, because as far as she had to be concerned, there was a crazy, bloodthirsty youkai in the room who had her friend shoved up against the wall.

"I won't hurt her, as long as you promise to fucking stay put for more than three seconds." He promised.

She locked her jaw and crossed her arms. "You won't hurt Kohaku either? Or me?" She added as an afterthought.

"You won't go running off?"

At her firm nod of agreement, Inuyasha turned back to her friend. Sango. "Listen up," he said, eyes locked onto hers, "if you try to so much as push me, it's not you I'll go after, it's your brother."

The absolute fear followed by absolute hate that flashed through her eyes convinced him she understood. Slowly, he released his grip around her neck, letting her fall to the floor in a crumpled heap, where she coughed violently.

"Sango!" Kagome started towards her, but Inuyasha held his hand up to stop her.

"Stay where you are."

"But she's hurt."

"She's fucking fine, she just needs to breathe a little."

"You slammed her head into the wall!"

Keh, that was such a human thing to do, blaming others for their own actions. What he had done was out of self-defense, that bitch had attacked him first. "_She fucking shot me._" He seethed.

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again, eyes darting to her friend. Then she turned her eyes onto him and locked them there.

Inuyasha had to school himself not to react to her. His mind immediately skipped to the first time she'd kissed him. Then the second. Then the third. He grit his teeth against the memories, against mentally replaying the way her lips felt on him, the way she had shivered under him, how wet she'd been for him.

No. _No_. He couldn't let himself get carried away anymore, no matter how much his body seemed to crave her. She was a racist bitch, and even though it didn't make any damn sense that she had flipped the switch, somehow, in between the time they'd last kissed and he had seen her again, she had become disgusted with herself for being so attracted to him.

He had been _so_ angry with her. So fucking pissed off while she refused to look at him. It made him sick to his stomach. Had he thought this Kagome girl would be the one to fix all his fucked up relationship problems? No. It was going to take more that a stupid, pretty, human female and probably another three hundred years before he was even in the range of being ready for anything more than lust. But he _had_ thought she was _different_.

"_Inuyasha, you cannot claim me as you are. You cannot claim me until you are human_."

Kikyou's words replayed on a sickening loop over and over inside his head. Keh. Women, both human and youkai, were all the same. He wasn't good enough for any of them. He was damned being half human, and damned being half youkai. But both parts were what made up _him_, dammit, and that's why he had to shove it back, every shot to his ego, every hit to his pride. Shove it far back so he just wouldn't give a damn anymore.

Keeping his back to the window he'd climbed through to get in the house, his eyes pinned both girls, in case they were stupid enough to try anything else. He crossed his arms over his chest and sank into the desk chair, trying to get as comfortable as possible while maintaining track of everyone situated in the room.

"Now that we've all calmed down a bit, we can talk." He said.

Kagome's eyes hadn't left his, not for a second. And for the first time he saw something besides the lust and the fear that usually mixed there. Determination. He sensed that something had shifted in her. She leaned up against the wall, folding her arms in a mimic of him, her jaw set.

"So? Talk."

He smirked. "Here's what I need from you. I need the jewel. I'm pretty sure you're the only one that can track it down."

"What makes you think that?" She asked, frowning.

"Because you're Kikyou's doppelganger. The jewel was _inside_ of you, which means you were born with it, which means it's a _part_ of you. You should be able to sense the shards."

She huffed impatiently. "That's like saying if my finger were chopped off and hidden from me I'd be able to 'sense' it and track it down."

"That would be stupid, unless your finger is a powerful jewel." He made a show of looking at her hand. "It's not."

She ignored his taunting. "So all I have to do is… is _feel_ around for these shard pieces?"

"That's all." He insisted.

"And then you'll leave me and my friends alone?"

Inuyasha nodded, holding his hands up to signify he had nothing to hide. "You'll have seen the last of me, I promise."

Her eyes narrowed, and he saw the skepticism there. "Where do I begin looking?"

He shrugged. "I've got a few leads, a few people to check out. If I know Kikyou, and I know her well, she didn't just scatter them randomly, she'll have sent them to people she either trusts or who owe her something."

Kagome tensed up then, pushing herself away from the wall. "Wait a second. How long is this going to take?"

He clamped his teeth together. He could feel himself growing increasingly impatient. She was asking too many damn questions. "Does it matter? Do you think I'm going to take no for an answer? This isn't going to be a fucking day-trip, doppelganger, you don't-"

"My _name_ is Kagome, not doppelganger. Stop calling me that."

Inuyasha grinned. He liked that he was able to jab at her with his words. That it got to her. "That's what you are though, Ka-go-me, just a doppelganger, a fucking copy of an original. Who, when she discovers that you've helped me escape, by the way, will want you fucking dead. Do you get what I'm saying?" He had stood up at some point during his tirade, trying to intimidate her with his size.

Her chin jutted straight in the air, her eyes glairing daggers up at him. She was afraid, he could smell the faint odor coming from her, but he was damned if she refused to show it. Her arms stayed crossed and her feet stayed grounded in place. She wasn't giving him an inch.

For some reason Inuyasha was excited by the thought that she could, at least on the outside, hold her ground. Under normal circumstances, he would have been all for taking his time, figuring out what made her tick. But he didn't have any fucking time. He needed that jewel whole and powerful and in his hands. Now.

"Keh," he said, moving slowly back to the chair and sitting down, smiling at her visible relief, just like when he'd crushed the weapon earlier. "My point is, it doesn't matter how long it takes, you're still going to help me."

"Kagome… Don't." Sango rasped from her still-crumpled spot on the floor.

"By all means, listen to your friend. But I won't stop following you around until you agree. I will make your life a living hell."

Her eyes widened.

He had her now, he knew it, and he couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face.

But then, suddenly, she was smirking too, and it caught him off guard. Only for a second did his face slip, before again becoming perfectly controlled.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" She asked, body visibly relaxing in front of him. "From what I can tell, you have about…" she glanced down at her wrist watch, "six hours until sunrise. Until you're sucked back into your little prison. And I can assure you, _Inuyasha_, that I won't be letting you out again." Her smirk had turned into a grin.

Fuck. He had been counting on the fact that she wouldn't remember that little detail, that his fast talking would be enough to get her to agree to at least _start_ looking for the jewel. She was smarter than he had given her credit for, and she knew it. She took two steps towards him, confident now.

He glared back at her with contempt.

He had to play his cards right.

"Six hours," he growled. "Six hours is a hell of a lot of time to cause havoc. Six hours is more than enough time to-" he stopped his threat mid sentence, shocked. He felt the sift in the space around them, felt the traces of power seconds before _he_ appeared.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed to Kagome, and he could tell: _she sensed it too_.

He appeared right behind her, Kikyou's lackey, purple robes swirling along with the sifting wind, deep eyes gazing out underneath dark bangs. Kagome went ridged, eyes wide. Scared. Before she could turn her head to look, his arm was around her neck in a chokehold.

Her hands immediately went up to claw at his arm, grabbing fistfuls of cloth. She could still breathe though, he could see it as she started to panic.

"_Miroku_," Inuyasha hissed.

"Inuyasha," Miroku replied, his voice the same, calm timbre. His eyes scanned the room, falling on the unconscious whelp on the bed and the girl on the floor now struggling to sit up. "I hope you're not planning on killing any humans," he continued. "Otherwise Kikyou will be upset."

"Kikyou can fucking shove it."

His eyebrow quirked up, but he didn't take the bait. "Excuse us."

"_No_!" Inuyasha shouted, launching himself from his seat, reaching his hand out. But it was too late, Miroku sifted again, and Inuyasha's claws closed around thin air, right where the doppelganger had been standing.

"Wh-what the _hell_!" Sango shouted, finally standing on shaky legs. "Kagome! What the hell, where did they go?" Her eyes locked onto Inuyasha. "What did he do to Kagome?"

Inuyasha stood stock-still. It was too quick. Kikyou had found them too quick. But this couldn't be the end, not when he finally had a slim chance of freeing himself for good. No way was he going to give up now. No way was he handing over the doppelganger.

Not without a fucking fight.

Inuyasha turned and gave Sango a curt nod. "I'll bring her back," he said. He had only seconds to track and follow Miroku, and then it would be too late. He closed his eyes, concentrated, and caught the barest wisp of a trail.

He sifted.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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So my computer died just as I was writing the ending to this chapter. I had a heart attack. Thank god for auto-save!

Also, I'm curious if anyone caught on to my earlier mention of Miroku back in chapter four? Anyone? Or was I too obscure? Lol.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	16. Chapter 16: The Release

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Aw, everyone feels so bad for Miroku. Giving you guys a longer chapter this time around, there was no place to cut it off. Can't wait for you guys to get to the next few chapters, I'm so stoked for this story! Enjoy!

This chapter was written to Tape Recorder by Hammock

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 16: The Release

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Kagome

Something inside of Kagome had snapped.

All the worrying, all the fear, all the wondering if she'd been spelled or not. She was sick of it.

Inuyasha, the infuriating hanyou, had gotten to her. But not in the way he thought. No. He'd gotten to her in a different way.

She was _pissed_.

Once she realized he wasn't going to kill them, at least not yet, she understood that she actually had some _leverage_ over him. That there was more she could do than just sit back and quiver in her boots. She could see it in his eyes – he _needed_ her alive. And that need of his she could work with.

Sango had protected Kagome, like some sort of freaking _superhero_, and dammit, she was going to repay the favor. She didn't know any kick-ass karate moves, but she had the one thing the evil creature in front of her needed. And she was going to use that knowledge to keep Sango and Kohaku safe.

Inuyasha sat across from her in Sango's room, in her desk chair, like he owned the place. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a full-blown smirk on his face.

She hated that smirk. She would take his bloated, over-confident smile and rip it right off him.

She felt her body relax, knowing she had to play the one card she had. Something from within screamed at her not to find the jewel shards for him, like a warning. _Danger!_ It screamed. _Danger!_ So she there was just one last-ditch idea she had, one last rock she was going to throw at him.

Screw him and his bullying, intimidating youkai crap.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" She asked. "From what I can tell, you have about…" she glanced down to check the time. It was twenty-after-twelve in the morning. "Six hours until sunrise. Until you're sucked back into your little prison. And I can assure you, _Inuyasha_," she said, putting as much contempt behind his name as possible, "that I won't be letting you out again." She grinned at him, she couldn't help it. Once he was back in the mirror come morning time, she'd take the stupid cursed thing and bury it out in the middle of the woods, in the deepest hole she could dig. And she wouldn't feel bad about it, either. She wouldn't feel bad about him being trapped in the mirror, in the dark for all of eternity.

Or maybe she'd smash it first. Would he be forever stuck inside then? With no possible hope to be let out? Forever?

She tried not to shiver at the thought, especially since he might take it as reacting to the glare he was shooting her way.

"Six hours," he growled. "Six hours is a hell of a lot of time to cause havoc."

Crap. Crap, crap, he was right. Her idea had backfired. What if he went on a killing spree? No one would be able to stop him, not unless she agreed to help him.

_No!_ The warning voice screamed inside her head.

He kept talking to her, kept his threat going. "Six hours is more than enough time to-" And then he stopped, frozen, eyes wide.

Confused for a second, Kagome wondered what face she'd made to get him to react like that, but then it hit her too. The air around her became prickly. The fine hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end, and she felt something vibrate in her chest, low and steady. Her mind reeled. What the-?

That same gentle gust of wind, the same sound of rustling fabric, it was like she'd been thrust back in the museum cave on that very first night. Those same hands that had ripped open her side swept around her again, one closing over her throat.

She felt her body go rigid at the pressure against her neck, and her hands shot up to claw at the skin of his forearm. It was covered in that same thick, purple fabric, she couldn't do anything but tug at the arm, trying to get free. She couldn't turn to get a good look at him, but she knew, she just _knew_ it was the same man.

Her eyes swept to Inuyasha, who's face mirrored her same shock. Then his brows drew together and he gripped the back of the desk chair with one hand, claws ripping into the fabric. He hissed. "_Miroku._"

She heard the deep, smooth voice of the man behind her. "Inuyasha," he said. "I hope you're not planning on killing any humans. Otherwise Kikyou will be upset."

"Kikyou can fucking shove it." He growled, his face contorted in anger.

There was a pause, and for a moment, she thought the man called Miroku and Inuyasha might start to fight. She readied herself to grab Kohaku and Sango and get the hell outta dodge if that happened.

But then the man spoke again. "Excuse us." He said.

Kagome watched Inuyasha's eyes go wide, watched him launch himself from his seat, his clawed hand reaching out towards her.

"_No_!" He shouted, before everything around her blurred, like motion lines in a photograph. Faster and faster the world moved around her. Kagome thought she might be sick. Her stomach flipped and the wind kicked up and howled around them, whipping her hair around her face.

Suddenly everything became solid, too solid too fast, and Kagome felt the unmistakable acidic rise of vomit forcing it's way up her esophagus. Wrenching herself out of the man's arms, she fell to her hands and knees and threw up. It kept coming until everything was out of her stomach, and she continued to dry-heave, the smell of her own discharge burning in her nose.

"Typical."

Kagome pulled herself together enough to peek up through her hair. The priestess stood in front of her, just as beautiful and cold as she remembered. Her nose upturned at the mess Kagome had made on the floor.

Kagome struggled to her feet, embarrassed. She attempted to smooth her tangled, wind-blown hair out of her face and look somewhat presentable, trying to ignore the vomit. "S-sorry." Was all she could manage to say.

Kikyou smiled, ignoring her and turning to the man. "Did you lose him, Miroku?"

Miroku shrugged. "Possibly. I sifted all over the place. If anything, it will take him a few minutes to reach us."

She nodded before acknowledging Kagome again. "Don't mind the mess, sifting doesn't settle well with humans."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Wasn't Kikyou a human? She certainly wasn't a youkai, although granted, Kagome only knew the one, so it wasn't like she was an expert on picking them out from the crowd. But Kikyou talked like humans were an entirely different species.

"Where… where am I?" Kagome asked, glancing around. It was a house, she was sure of it, but it was old, the wallpaper torn, the wooden floor rotting through. They were in the upper level of the house because the ceiling slanted up on both sides and came together in the shape of a roof. She wondered why she'd been brought here of all places, wondered what was in store for her. Inuyasha had implied many times that Kikyou would be furious, would right out kill her if she caught her. But so far, Kikyou simply looked calm and collected. She didn't seem furious. And she was making no move to kill Kagome. …Not yet anyway.

Kikyou waved her hand at Kagome's question. "An abandoned structure not far from where Miroku found you." She said, boredom ringing in her tone. Or was it simple disinterest? "I'm so sorry that I had to pull you away from your friend like that. But I had to speak with you alone."

The words were right, but the tone was off. Kagome got the sneaking suspicion that Kikyou was far from sorry. She clenched her jaw together, refusing to give in and lash out. She wouldn't let her fear get the best of her.

The priestess smiled again when she didn't reply and continued on. "Little doppelganger." She shook her head, as if the term were endearing, as if Kagome was a cute little pet. "When we last met I thought I made it pretty clear that I didn't want you coming back for Inuyasha."

"You didn't say that." Kagome mentally smacked herself for opening her mouth.

"The simple fact that I had your memories erased should have tipped you off." Her polite smile turned cold, and Kagome shivered. "I'm curious how you got close enough to break my spell, though. You should have been terrified. Tell me. How did you find the nerve to go back?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. I just went back." No way would she admit that she'd been so scared she'd nearly wet herself.

Kikyou brought her hand up to her chin, a speculative look in her eyes. She started to pace, slowly, in a circular pattern around Kagome, giving her wide berth. Still, Kagome tensed up, just in case.

"You know," the priestess said, "you're the first one to go back for him. The very few others who tried to release him stayed far, far away. But then again, you _are_ my reincarnation."

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. "….I am?" She asked. It sounded strange, having her confirm what Inuyasha had guessed at.

"Most certainly. It's why the jewel was inside of you. You see, when I died, it burned with me, passed on with me." She frowned. "Although I had expected to keep it with me always, I hadn't counted on it passing along to my next life."

"Ah," Kagome spoke up, curiosity getting the better of her, "that doesn't make any sense, because you're still alive…?" She had meant it as a statement, but it came out sounding more like a question.

She grinned. "Yes, yes. Technically you could say that I am alive. I do breath, I do have a heart, and it does pump blood through me. I feel things. Anger. Pain. Desire." She locked eyes with Kagome on that last word, and she _knew_ what she was implying.

"You were in love…" Kagome muttered, hating the way her voice sounded, "with Inuyasha?"

Kikyou sighed, loud and heavy, continuing her slow, walking pattern. "Yes, Inuyasha and I… cared about each other."

"So then why entrap him in a mirror?"

That creepy, cold smile was back on her lips. "Sometimes, caring about someone isn't enough. Especially when that someone works so hard to undo everything you've worked for." She paused, but Kagome stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "Inuyasha was not willing to save himself. I did what I had to do. For humanity."

"For humanity." Kagome repeated, not understanding her one bit.

"For humanity," she nodded. She stopped walking, quirking her head to the side, as if Kagome were a child that didn't understand grownup talk. "Why do you think youkai aren't running around freely in your world today, doppelganger? Why do you think humans are masters of the earth? Why is it that although youkai are stronger and faster, the physically superior race, they're not ruling humans?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" She continued. "That youkai would be the more advanced race? That, if they were able to, they'd run wild and free? Humans are, for the most part, food to these creatures after all."

"Youkai eat people?"

"Some do. Most do. So why haven't they shown themselves? Why haven't they come forward?"

Kagome shrugged, keeping her mouth shut.

"Me. They haven't because of me."

_Of course_, Kagome thought dryly, _typical crazy person with a typical ego_.

"Inuyasha is youkai, and because he is youkai he is where he needs to be: In the mirror. That's the only option for him other than death, But let's get back to the point. You are simply my copy, doppelganger. I let you free, gave you back your life. However, I can't have you running amok, breaking my spells and setting Inuyasha free. Why should I let you loose again, when you have proven to be such a nuisance to me?" She waited for Kagome to reply.

Swallowing her fear, at least as much as possible, Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, it's not like I was purposely going back to free Inuyasha, I had a school assignment to complete. I never would have forced myself back in there if I didn't need to get my report done."

"You still went in, and you still released him. And that, I'm afraid, my dear copy, is why I cannot allow you to leave this time."

Dread washed over Kagome. Kikyou's face had contorted into something evil. She barely looked human.

"Grab her," the priestess said, and those same hands wrapped around Kagome's arms again. This was just the same as before, and the panic really started to eat at her. Kikyou stepped closer as Kagome struggled.

"Wha-wha-what are you going to do, lock me in a mirror too?" She asked out of desperation, frantic to try and keep her talking.

She let out a sharp bark of laughter. "No. Inuyasha is in the mirror for a reason. His hanyou aura sustains the spell, which in turn sustains me. You would just be a little girl, stuck in a piece of glass." She continued to walk forward, reaching her arms out as her minion kept Kagome in place. "Don't make me spell you still, dear. Stay where you are."

"S-stop, don't come near me!" The dread in her gut bubbled over, and she kicked out behind her, catching shin with her heel. The man grunted, but his grip held firm.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, truly I am," Kikyou continued as she drew near. "Believe me when I tell you that I am trying to help your species. Your death will be for the greater good. At least leave with that comforting thought."

Comforting thought? That thought wasn't freaking _comforting_! She shrunk back as best she could, away from the priestess. Inuyasha had been right, she was a crazy, evil bitch! Kagome was terrified, way more terrified than when she had opened Sango's door and Inuyasha had stood there, glowering down at her, way more terrified than when Inuyasha had shoved Sango up against the wall by her throat. At this point, she'd rather be facing death by the hanyou's claws then by this creepy, cold, somehow-dead-but-still-breathing witch-priestess!

She felt like she might vomit again. But there was something else happening inside her. It started in her chest at is spread. Heat. Uncontrollable, uncomfortable heat boiled at the core of her body, like compressed rage and a severe sunburn all rolled into one. Kikyou stepped near, arms outstretched, a crazy, murderous gleam in her eye, and Kagome felt that heat shoot out from her chest and down her arms, just as she brought her hands up to protect her face.

It was blinding, the light that shot out of her hands. She heard screaming and smelled cooking, sizzling meat. The hands gripping her arms were gone, and she felt engulfed in warmth. It reminded her of when she was little and had wet the bed, and her mother had drawn a bath at two in the morning and put her in, still half asleep and drowsy. It was that same protected, glowing feeling, and it radiated from deep inside.

_What_ was happening to her? She felt as if there were something new within her, space within her chest that hadn't been there before. She felt expanded, bigger than her body.

The screams continued.

Searing heat on her palms now. The pain brought Kagome back to herself. Her hands were wrapped around Kikyou's arms, and they were _burning _her. Kagome's wrists all the way to the tips of her fingers glowed white-hot. Horrified, she tried to pull away, but she was stuck, welded to her as Kikyou's flesh sizzled and bubbled around her hands.

Kagome screamed, and the light expanded again. There was a loud popping sound, and she was ripped free of Kikyou's arms. The priestess was flung back. Her body slammed against the far wall and then fell in a heap to the ground.

Tears poured from Kagome's eyes, scared out of her mind. _What's happening_? She screamed inside her head, _what have I done? What am I_?

The light faded away into a, dull, faded pink glow, centered in her chest. She lifted her shaking hands, expecting to see severe charring, or third-degree burns, but they were smooth and perfect. Whipping around in a circle, she caught movement to her right. The man who had taken her from Sango's house, who had ripped her side open days before, slowly rolled onto his stomach. He groaned loudly, hands coming up to hold his head.

"What the _fuck_?"

Kagome whipped around again, eyes going wide as Inuyasha appeared out of thin air, and the relief hit her like a ton of bricks.

"What the hell _happened_?" Inuyasha exclaimed, eyes darting around the worn down room.

"I-I don't know." Kagome cried. She tried to calm her rapid breathing, but her breath kept hitching. "She-she came after me, she was trying… trying to kill me. I brought my h-hands up and then… then…"

He was at her side then, gripping her upper arm. Kagome winced at the sudden movement.

"Then what?" He gave her a little shake when she didn't answer right away. "_Then what_?"

"Th-then I don't know! There was this light! This light coming from my hands and… and…"

"You _purified_ them?"

"I- _what_?" She felt sluggish suddenly, like her brain had slowed down. The urge to vomit had passed, despite the smell of burnt flesh filling the room, but now she was dizzy, and weak, like all the energy her body produced during the day had run out. She felt her legs give out beneath her.

"Hey, what the-!" Inuyasha reached out and caught her, she could feel the muscles bunching in his arms as he dragged her to him. She let herself collapse against him. No way could she stand on her own right now.

The man called Miroku was getting up, Kagome could see him out of the corner of her eye. She felt Inuyasha's chest rumble as he released a growl.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, standing at full height now, hand still rubbing at his head.

"Fucking monk," Inuyasha spat. "Still letting the bitch control you I see."

Miroku frowned, glancing over at the unconscious woman lying still on the floor. "It's not like I have much of a choice in the matter," he said dully, hand finally moving away from his temple. "I do what I'm told. Just like you've been doing until now."

"Not anymore."

"Apparently not."

"And you're fucking thick if you think I'll be letting you just take the doppelganger from me again. She's mine."

Kagome blinked, not sure if she heard him correctly or not. She raised her head to see him face through her hazy vision. His jaw was set and his eyes were locked on the monk.

"Kikyou wants her dead."

"That's fucking obvious," he growled. "Just stay back while I finish the witch off, and we'll be out of your way." Then he turned, dragging Kagome with him, pinning her to his side as took two steps towards the fallen priestess.

Miroku leapt in front of them, blocking their way. Inuyasha reared back sharply.

"Get out of the way, monk."

"I can't do that."

"Keh. You make me fucking sick." He took another step forward.

Kagome gazed at the man though her weakened eyes, barely making out his movements. He swiftly removed the prayer beads from around his hand, then opened his fingers just a little.

The wind kicked up around them, but it was different from the wind she had felt while sifting with Miroku. This wind was brutal. She could feel herself being pulled forward, ever so slightly along with Inuyasha.

"Fuck!" He cursed, pulling Kagome tighter to him. "Don't think this is the last of it, monk!" He shouted over the wind. Then he cursed again.

"Let the doppelganger know there's a little present waiting for her at home!" Miroku shouted back, but before Kagome could open her mouth to ask what he meant, the edges of her vision blurred, and she was being pulled back, away from Miroku and the insane priestess. Away from the abandoned, rotting house.

They hit solid ground.

Kagome fell to her knees.

She threw up.

Which was weird, because she thought she'd gotten everything out of her stomach the first time. Apparently not.

"Shit, are you kidding me?" Inuyasha cried, reaching down to pull her to her feet once she'd emptied her stomach again. Kagome whimpered, exhausted.

"Ugh," was all she could manage.

"Keh. I forgot that you humans don't handle instantaneous transportation well." He smirked in reply to her glare. "Don't vomit on my feet," he added.

Shivering, feeling that she had reached her limit, Kagome weakly shoved him off of her. "Just, get away from me," she said, willing her legs to stop wobbling around. They were in the middle of the street right in front of Sango's house. The porch light was on, but it was quiet inside. Kagome struggled to take each step. If she could only get in side, get to the couch, and pass out. She was so tired.

"Whoa, now." Inuyasha said, catching her for the second time that night. She hadn't even realized her legs had given out again. She looked up at him.

He had come for her. She remembered the panicked look on his face when Miroku had taken her. _She's mine_, he'd said, after he'd followed the trail. She wasn't silly enough to think that he'd meant anything other than he needed her to track down the jewel. But the small twinge of her heart hadn't been imagined. She pushed those feelings deep, deep down and tried to lock them away.

"Get off of me," she reinforced, struggling to get free of his grasp.

"Hey," he said. He released her, arms folding over his chest. "I just saved your ass. The least you could do is show some fucking gratitude, no matter how much my youkai side disgusts you."

"Ugh!" She said again, but this time out of anger instead of nausea. "You are so thick! I'm not disgusted by your youkai side. I don't know where you got the idea of me being any sort of racist, but I'm not, so stop accusing me of it."

"Keh. Whatever, wench, you were so disgusted you wouldn't even look at me."

"Look," she snapped. She was starting to get a headache. "You're right, I wouldn't look at you, but it wasn't because I was disgusted."

"…Whatever." He repeated as he slowly followed her up the front steps. "You don't have to like me, but maybe a 'thanks' for getting you back is in order."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You just saved me because I can get your stupid jewel for you. Don't think this means I owe you."

"Hell yes you owe me!" He exclaimed. "You'd be dead back there otherwise. Miroku would have swallowed you whole with his wind-tunnel."

What the hell was a wind-tunnel? No wait, she didn't want to know, she just wanted to sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep. So she ignored his taunting, reaching the front door, and knocking. Once, twice, three times.

She couldn't help herself as she turned to Inuyasha and held up her hands. _You_ _purified them!_ He had said.

"Something tells me I would have been fine."

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Okay, so not much of a cliffhanger, but whoo~! Another chapter done!

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.

~SugarRos


	17. Chapter 17: Family Secrets

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Hello dear readers, I'm so sorry about the delay. With the holidays and work being crazy _because_ of the holidays, I haven't had much time to write! But oh look! Another character's POV! I love this chapter, I've never written from this character's POV before. I hope you guys like it!

I realize I haven't replied to your reviews over the last few chapters. So sorry, I fell behind! Rest assured I will continue to reply from now on! Your reviews are my addiction.

This chapter was written to The World We Knew As Children by Hammock

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Purpletutugirl for being my 150th review! Thank you so much for all your reviews, Purpletutugirl, and not just for YITM, either, but for all my fanfics you sent in reviews for over the years!

Again, a special shout-out to everyone who has been reviewing so far. You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 17: Family Secrets

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Sango

Sango was a realist by nature.

It was expected growing up in a martial artist's family. She hadn't spent her childhood with her mother reading fairytales at bedtime, unless they were of the _Grimm_ kind and always followed up with some lesson on real-world monsters. She hadn't passed her elementary days watching Disney princess movies with her friends, or learning ghost stories to tell at slumber parties in middle school. She hadn't spent her three-and-a-half years of high school trying to snag a boyfriend. Instead, assault statistics had been drilled into her tiny little head. Her nightmares as a child hadn't been of monsters under the bed, they'd been of scary men in masks dragging her away from mommy and daddy. And every time a boy dared try and grope her, she knew a hundred different ways to break any one of the twenty-seven bones in the offending hand.

People were unpredictable, you couldn't judge a person by their face alone. And it was that danger, that very _real_ danger, that was pounded into her during self-defense classes six days a week. She taught children's classes on the weekends, where she'd pound the same mantra into them.

It wasn't just hand-to-hand combat her parents made her train in either. Shooting lessons, bootcamps and wildness survival, her parents insisted she and her brother have it all down. Sango supposed to someone looking in from the outside it might seem excessive, but it was just what everyone in her family did. She lived and breathed the lifestyle, just like her parents, just like her brother. She hadn't been given much of a choice. She didn't know any different.

Realism was rapists and murderers and pedophiles and kidnappers. Realism was not ghosts and zombies and vampires and youkai.

Which is why, when Kagome had dragged her into the museum that night, and that _man_ had stepped out to show himself from _inside_ the mirror, Sango thought she'd fucking lost it.

She was dreaming.

It was a trick.

She'd been attacked on their way to the museum and somehow overpowered and knocked unconscious, and now she was hallucinating.

The many different reasons her mind conjured up for a man to be _inside_ a mirror flooded through her head. She flipped through them in seconds, like a mental roll-a-dex. But even though Sango knew for a fact that magical men did _not_ come out of magical mirrors, she _knew_ that she wasn't dreaming. She _knew_ that it wasn't a trick. And she couldn't for the life of her figure out _why_ or _how_ she knew.

She just knew.

The knowledge was a pulsing pain in the back of her skull as she watched Kagome, her best friend in the whole world, lean in and kiss the mirror. Watched as the man, no, the _youkai_, as he claimed himself to be, kissed the other side and stepped out. _From solid glass_.

Sango swallowed her panic. She buried her terror. Panic and terror were her enemy. She'd learned to roll with the punches, to stay calm and collected. Because when you panicked you became a victim, and when you became a victim, sometimes you became dead.

So she'd forced herself to relax, after her initial disbelief. Her immediate plan was to play it cool around this… _creature_. To make sure she didn't tip him off that she didn't like him. That he gave her the creeps. She didn't believe in auras, but there didn't seem to be another word that explained the way her hair stood on end and her body seemed to vibrate when she was near him.

Taking him to her house that first night had been hell on her. Everything inside of her screamed to keep him away, to not let him inside. But damn if she hadn't let her pride get the better of her judgment. She could hold her own in a fight after all, she had enough gold medals in sparring and grappling to prove it. So if he tried anything, she could keep him under control, she was _sure_ of it.

When Kagome had come to her for help, she'd laid out a plan. She'd been relieved that Kagome was having doubts also. Which is why she didn't step out of the whole fucked up situation. It was why she'd promised to help her friend get out of it.

Thinking back, running to Sango's house when she'd known he was following them was not the smartest move. Maybe they _should_ have gone to the police. But really, what were they supposed to say? _Help us officer! There's a youkai that came out of a mirror that can freaking _spell_ people into doing what he wants and now he's after us!_ Yeah, that would have gone swimmingly.

Besides, Sango knew her house well. She knew her brother was just as good as she was at protecting himself. She had every belief, just like she had that first night, that she could stay in control the situation.

And she knew where her father kept his gun.

So many mistakes she'd made up until this point. So many wrong choices. She knew it when the bullet only made him flinch. Bastard hardly blinked.

She should have shot him in the head.

She knew she was going to die when he had her up against the wall, air strangled from her lungs, sharp claws piercing the soft flesh of her neck. She couldn't break his wrist, she couldn't kick him. He was made of titanium, not bone. Such strength she had never come across before.

She was going to die.

But then she didn't. Kagome was there, pleading for Sango's life. Making deals and promises with the asshole. And he let Sango go. He let her go and she crumpled to the floor and sweet, painful relief flooded back into her lungs. Her throat was on fire. The sound of her veins pumping blood back into her head was a thumping, a throbbing. Her vision came back into focus, but she couldn't do much more than breathe.

"Kagome… Don't." She pleaded when she caught the youkai's demand of her friend. The words were like sandpaper in her esophagus. Like razors. But Kagome held her ground, bartering with the youkai, even going so far as to threaten him. A small spark of pride had flickered in Sango's chest at her best friend's bravery. She knew the girl had it in her.

But then it all went to hell, as if it hadn't been there already.

The barest whisper of wind. The sudden materialization of a man. Sango's jaw dropped for the second time that night. He towered over Kagome, deep purple robes wrapped securely around his body, a long, golden staff gripped in one wrapped, beaded hand. His deep black hair was pulled back into a short ponytail at the base of his neck, save for the thick bangs covering his forehead. His eyes were an unnatural, brilliant violet. Sango's mind reeled that she had just witnessed more impossibility. This was not real. This was _not real_.

But that same tingle at the back of her neck insisted that it was.

He was fucking gorgeous, and, she realized a second later, probably another damn youkai, although he didn't look the same. Still, there was something off about him, despite his immense beauty, and Sango forced herself to stay as grounded as possible. If he was youkai, and for some reason could spell her, she did not want to get caught up the way Kagome had been caught up. No way would she lose herself in anything as evil as youkai.

She was dumbfounded, speechless. She watched as the two unrealistic males glowered at each other, noting the one Inuyasha called 'Miroku' had a distinct lack of fangs, and no weird animal appendages that she could see. Still, Inuyasha was the only youkai she'd ever come across, and as far as she knew, they varied in looks as much as the people from the melting pot that was America.

Finally shaking herself from her thoughts on the sudden appearance of this Miroku, she caught the tail end of his deep, distinctly male voice.

"-planning on killing any humans. Otherwise, Kikyou will be upset."

_The witch who spelled Inuyasha_, Sango's sharp mind popped up the information from her mental flashcards, but she only had a second to wonder about it before Inuyasha growled dangerously.

"Kikyou can fucking shove it." His teeth ground together.

Miroku's lips quirked up in a smile, and his eyes glanced quickly – too quickly – in her direction, before his eyebrow shot up in response. "Excuse us," was all he said, and then Inuyasha was flying towards him, eyes wide, a raging shout ripping from his throat.

"No!" He cried, and Sango inhaled sharply as Miroku disappeared, taking Kagome with him.

It was enough to get Sango back on her feet, no matter how rubbery and unbalanced her legs felt. She used the wall for support to push herself up. "Wh-what the _hell_!" She cried. "Kagome! What the hell, where did they go?" She glared at Inuyasha, pouring all her hate into her heated gaze. "What did he do to Kagome?"

He turned to her and nodded once. Sharp. "I'll bring her back." He said.

Then he disappeared too.

Somehow, his promise hadn't left her satisfied.

The panic threatened to overtake her. Kagome was gone – had dematerialized right in front of her – and was now God-knew-where with two very dangerous men – no – youkai. What the hell could Sango do? How could she fix this?

Her eyes darted to her younger brother, still unmoving on her bed. Feeling sickened that she had somehow, in all this mess, forgotten about him, she moved towards him, swallowing the sob that tried to force its way up her throat.

His body was diagonal to the shape of the bed, his left leg dangling off the side, his head in the corner below the pillow. His arms were flung out beside him, but he was breathing which meant he was alive. Relief rushing through her, she collapsed next to him and focused on slowing her quickening breath, forcing down the tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, willing herself to slip into the familiar routine of light meditation. She could not panic, she could not break down. To be calm meant that she was in control of herself, and if she was in control of herself she could do something to fix the situation she was now in.

Closing her eyes she breathed in deeply, then out. In, then out. It took three or four times before her breathing stopped being shaky. Then slowly she started her mantra.

"Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

She breathed deeply. Then repeated. "Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

The third time started the calming affect. By the fifth repeat she felt the words sink in, felt her body cease it's shaking, felt her mind clear.

There had do be something she could do. Some weapon that was at her disposal. Some way to kill the youkai she hadn't thought of. Automatically she glanced over at her hiraikotsu, the small martial-arts weapon carved from animal bone and only double the size of her hand. She wished with all her might that it was powerful in some way, because she concentrated her weapons studies on the hiraikotsu the most. But other than flinging it around like a boomerang to do tricks for tournaments or hitting someone on the head and leaving a nasty bump, it wasn't much use for anything. She needed something else. Something more powerful than a gun.

It came to her then, as she repeated the mantra one more time, and she kicked herself mentally for not thinking of it before. Her father had pulled her and her brother aside after one morning of intense training. Both he and their mother had just gotten back the previous night from another martial arts weekend-long seminar, and for some reason she couldn't understand, they'd been angry. Sango and her brother had felt their father's anger in their training that day. He was pushing them harder, screaming at them louder. He even got into Kohaku's face about some elementary mistake he had made, despite the mistake being due to exhaustion.

At the end of the training, more cuts and scrapes adorning their skin than usual, he finally brought them aside, his anger gone and his eyes deadly serious.

"I want you two to remember something. Even if you forget every singe thing your mother and I have ever taught you – which you'd better not – you must remember this one thing. If there is an emergency, you need to go down into the basement and set the washing machine past full power. Do you understand?"

They didn't understand. Sango and Kohaku both did their own laundry, and there _was_ no setting that went past full power. When Kohaku brought this up, their father merely chuckled.

"You're right, there isn't."

Still confused, and slightly worried at how somber her father was, Sango sighed. "What kind of emergency do you mean, dad? Like if a robber breaks into the house?"

His smile was tired and he shook his head. "No. If a robber breaks into the house, you grab my gun. If someone tries to kidnap you, you break his back. No, the emergency I'm talking about is different."

She waited for him to elaborate. He didn't. "So then what kind of emergency?" She finally asked.

"I can't tell you." He raised a hand up to cut off his children's protest. "Do not argue with me. I can't tell you. All I can say is that when this particular emergency happens, you'll know. And _if_ it happens, and that's a big _if_, what are you going to do?"

"Go down into the basement and set the washing machine past full power," Sango and Kohaku chanted at the same time.

Satisfied, her father nodded. "Good. Now go clean up and get ready for dinner. We'll go out for ice cream later. You two worked hard today."

Cheering, Sango followed Kohaku towards the house, sparing a glance back at her father. She was shocked to see his face fall so devastatingly. A second later his features were schooled, leaving the then twelve-year-old Sango wondering if she'd imagined it.

Over the years, she'd almost forgotten. There had been no emergencies, other then the basement flooding one year during rainy season, and Kohaku nearly burning the house down after falling asleep with the stove on. But other than that, things had been peaceful. She and her brother attended school and trained, her parents worked and continued to frequent weekend or week-long martial arts seminars, and Sango had let the intense warning her father had given her fall to the wayside. It had been five years ago. She idly wondered if Kohaku remembered at all, he'd only been seven at the time.

Now she quickly stood up and rushed out into the hallway. If this wasn't an emergency, she didn't know what was. Youkai were real. Youkai were freaking _real_ and they'd invaded her home and knocked her brother unconscious and kidnapped her friend. Was this what her father had been talking about? Was this the emergency he hadn't been able to explain?

It made sense. Had her father told her back then that youkai existed and they might one day find themselves fighting for their lives she would have laughed and thought him crazy.

Sango stumbled down the stairs, her head pounding with the previous lack of oxygen. She fled through the kitchen and into the family room, yanking open the basement door and flipping the light switch. Quickly she moved down the wooden steps and smacked into the washing machine, reaching out with a shaking hand and gripping the large knob to the right. The clicking noise as the knob flipped over each setting was loud in her ears, louder than her heavy breathing. For some reason she was terrified as the knob moved to full power. Breathing in deep she pressed it past the last setting.

For one impossibly long moment, nothing happened.

Then the ground shuddered beneath her feet, and a rectangular trapdoor in the floor opened to her left, in the center of the basement. Unnatural blue light glowed from inside. Eyes wide, breathing shallow, Sango made her way towards the opening. The walls and stairs that lead down into a room she'd never known existed before was made of steel and imbedded with those blue lights, illuminating the way. Slowly, slowly she made her way down the steps.

The room was large and like something she'd seen out of a futuristic Bond movie. But it was only a glowing, blue, steel room. Nothing lined the walls or the floor, nothing stood in the center. Looking down, there were two shoe imprints about a foot from where she stood. She stepped onto them, unsure of what else to do.

A flicker in the center of the room drew her gaze and a hologram, a freaking _hologram_, flared up from the center of the room.

Her father stood there. She could see through the blue lines that made him up, through the shading that made him 3-D. He was younger in this image by years, but that same stern face was his, the same heartfelt smile was the one she'd known for all these years.

"Emergency message activated. Sango. Kohaku." He spoke, his voice confirming that this was a recording of him when he was younger. "If you're down here, and you've activated this message, it means only one thing. Youkai."

Sango felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Her parents _knew_ about youkai. And even though she'd known that everything that was happening to her was real, it was still somewhat devastating having it confirmed.

"First off, don't panic. Remember that when you panic, you're not in control," the hologram continued. "Youkai are dangerous, and they have been around for as long as humans have. They are stronger and faster, and usually have some sort of animal characteristic. _However_, lots of youkai look more human than animal, and you must be especially careful of those kind.

"You two are born into a legacy. While it's true that we are from a long line of martial artists, there is more to it that that. We come from a long line of youkai exterminators. Sango, Kohaku, you two have been training since you were born to fight off these monsters. If an emergency has happened, and you have activated this message because you have encountered dangerous youkai, everything you need to fight off and kill these monsters you will find here."

Sango jumped as a loud noise resonated through the room, and panels covering every inch of the wall opened and flipped over, revealing rows and rows of frightening, strange-looking weaponry and armor. Her mouth dropped open.

"These weapons are for you to use as needed. Simply touch an item in this room, and this message will explain what it is and what it does."

Slowly, somewhat unsure of herself, Sango moved from the footprints on the floor and reached out to the first item. It was silvery gold with tiny openings speckled across the surface, and it seemed to mold over the bottom half of a person's face. Two small, padded hooks adorned each end, meant to hook over the ears. Her fingertips grazed over the smooth material.

"Mask." The hologram recited. "It protects the wearer from poisons and miasma dealt by youkai, but is also useful against human poisons as well. It works as a high-grade filter device. It is always preferred that you wear one when going up against youkai."

Sango picked it up and pushed it lightly against her chin, breathing in. The air flowed easily through the holes, allowing her to breath normally. Placing it back down, she moved to the next item, a coil of large, heavy looking chain.

"Hunter Chain. The chain is light, easily portable, yet devastatingly heavy against youkai. Used to restrict movement and hold youkai in place. It will not have the same effect on humans."

"…What about half youkai?" Sango asked, remembering the stern correction about Inuyasha being _hanyou_ instead of full _youkai_. Her father didn't answer her though, he was just a recording. She picked up a coil of the chain. It was feather light.

The next few items were a dozen or so oblong bottles filled with liquid that glowed oranges and reds and purples and blues. She reached out to pick one up, the liquid partially turning to gas as she swirled it around, before turning back into liquid.

"Numbing Poisons. Used in replace of killing methods for the sake of interrogation. The poisons numb youkai, and can be masked by baking it into food or soaking an item in it. Each one affects a youkai in different ways. Some numb only the skin, some numb sight and taste and smell. These poisons work on humans as well, so extreme caution is needed at all times when using."

Placing the bottle back, Sango moved on to the next item, her gaze lingering on the poisons for only a few moments more before it landed on the sword. It was shorter than the katana she used in her tournament training, the edge sharper than any she'd seen before.

"Wakizashi," the message continued. "A short one-handed sword, used for close-range fighting, can slice through bone."

The next weapon was a smaller sword barely six inches long and no more than an inch thin at its base. It met at the point no wider than a needle.

"Dagger Gauntlet. Can be hidden and retracted within the sleeve, usually used as a last resort."

Sango shuttered at the idea of there being a last resort at all and moved towards the next weapon. They were giant kamas, more like sickles in their size, attached to chains instead of rope. Kohaku specialized in kamas, he would be delighted in seeing these. She reached out to touch the attached chains, wondering if they were as light at the hunter chains.

"Kusarigama. Large kamas. Made of demon bone. Can be thrown long distances, as well as quickly retracted."

There was a darkened gap between the kusarigama and the hanging armor, but as Sango passed by, the gap lit up.

Her hiraikotsu hung there, bathed in blue light, but it was large. It was bigger than large, it was _huge_. _Gigantic_. It towered over her and, entranced by its size and beauty, Sango reached out to touch it. She sensed it pulse beneath her fingertips, and suddenly felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. This hiraikotsu called to her soul.

"Hiraikotsu. Massive boomerang bone. Hiraikotsu is crafted from the bones of youkai that have been slain by us hunters. This hiraikotsu has been passed on through our family from generation to generation. It harbors the slain youkai spirits, and becomes more powerful as more spirits fill it. It has the ability to destroy demonic energy."

Ripping her hand away, weary of the intense pull she felt towards it, she slowly moved towards the last item on the wall. It was two full suits of body armor, one smaller to fit Kohaku's frame. She ran her fingertips across the black material.

"Hunter Armor. Armor used with bones of slain youkai. Always wear your armor when fighting youkai."

Sango had so many questions. She damned her parents for being gone at the seminar. She felt cheated, like they hadn't trusted her with telling her all this information themselves. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to start blaming anybody. She now had what she needed to finally kill Inuyasha and that Miroku guy, whoever the hell he was.

She froze as an alarm went off. The hologram of her father blurred, then turned red.

"Youkai alert. Front door, five hundred feet. Youkai alert. Front door, five hundred feet. Youkai alert. Front door, three hundred feet."

Quickly, Sango grabbed up the dagger gauntlet, slipping it inside her sleeves, and the numbing poisons and headed towards the stairs. Whichever youkai it turned out to be, they'd have a surprise waiting for them. She was halfway up the stairs when she remembered the mask, and she jumped over the bottom two steps, ripping it from it's display case and hauling ass back up the stairs.

The trapdoor closed behind her, and she willed her beating heart to slow as someone knocked on the front door.

Hiding the poisons in her jacket pockets, and slipping the mask behind her back, she crept slowly to the door, listening carefully. There was another round of knocks before Sango heard two heated voices bickering on her front steps. One sounded distinctively like Kagome.

Evening out her breaths, Sango reached for the doorknob and yanked the door open.

"Sango!" Kagome cried, throwing herself into her friends' arms. Sango brought her free hand around to hug Kagome back, relief washing over her that her friend was alive and well.

"You okay?" She asked, blinking back more tears.

Kagome nodded. "I'm okay now."

"Keh. Thanks to me." The youkai said, and Sango's eyes locked onto his golden ones.

He was in for a big fucking surprise.

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Whooo~! Another chapter down! What did you guys think?

I had to do some research for this one, thank goodness for Inuyasha Wiki!

Thank you for continuing it read! I'm not going to lie, a big part of why I write fanfiction is to get your reactions to my story and writing style. So please leave me a review! Constructive crits are welcome as well, so bring it on.

Oh, and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

~SugarRos


	18. Chapter 18: Kagome's Scent

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Note: Time to celebrate! YITM has finally surpassed Pretty Kagome: Revised in both views and reviews! I would like to thank everyone who comes back again and again to read my fanfiction and I'd like to especially thank those of you who continue to review every chapter. You guys are what keep me going. I couldn't love you more.

I've also created a tumblr page dedicated to blogging about Inuyasha, my views on Inuyasha and the manga and the anime as well as other works by the great Takahashi, and any random tidbits about where I am in the writing/updating process. So if you're interested, follow me! Link is on my profile page.

Last bit of good news: I've acquired another beta along with the wonderful Viv. Penthesileia has joined my editing team! She's pretty awesome. Make sure you go check out her fics!

This chapter was written to Tunglio by Olafur Arnalds.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 18: Kagome's Scent

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Kagome

"Something tells me I would have been fine." Kagome said, holding her hands up in front of her. She wasn't sure _how_ she'd managed to protect herself, and the memory of melted, sizzling skin disturbed her greatly, but Inuyasha's stupid, egotistical _smug_ face just pushed her over the edge. She couldn't help taunting him with it a bit. Because apparently, when crazy, possibly undead witches were out to murder her, her hands could turn into branding irons and melt skin off.

Lovely.

"Keh," he muttered as she knocked at the door again, "you managed to take Kikyou down for a bit I'll give you that." He grinned, leaning towards her.

She suddenly felt that same need pool below. She'd been so distracted what with all the threatening and attempted murdering going on around her, she hadn't had breath enough to… _admire_ him with the same intensity that had hit her so hard when she first kissed him through the mirror.

No, no, _no_! She couldn't let herself go back to that again! She was doing so well! She took a step back, ripping her eyes away from his and knocked again. Where the hell was Sango?

As if they shared the same mind, Sango swung the door open then, a bit pale but otherwise whole.

"Sango!" Kagome cried, and she launched herself into her friends' arms, so thankful to see her again. She wrapped her arms around Sango's neck, trembling against her. She hadn't realized until just that moment she thought she'd never see her friend again.

"You okay?" Sango asked. And she brought her arms around Kagome's waist.

Did she hear Sango's voice break a little? Kagome's heart fluttered at the thought of her best friend caring for her so much. She squeezed tighter, the hug some kind of proof that they'd both lived through everything that had happened tonight. "I'm okay now," she said.

"Keh. Thanks to me." Inuyasha added, that same smug look spread across his features.

Kagome tried not to roll her eyes. He was never going to let her forget it. And the worst part was he was right. For all his complaining and insults, he _had_ come after her, and he _had_ protected her from whatever that wind-tunnel thing was.

She owed him. The thought echoed within her suddenly-dizzying head as she and Sango pulled apart. She followed her friend into the kitchen and opened the cupboard, grabbing a glass and filling it with cool tap water. Her throat was suddenly dry.

She owed him. She couldn't refuse to help him anymore. Because it wasn't like she could pay him back by saving his life in return. Who the hell could kidnap six feet of hard, lean, youkai muscle? Who the hell could harm something so powerful? Her eyes darted to him again as he leaned his hip up against the kitchen island, his arms crossed over his still-bare chest, that stupid, infuriating smirk playing on his full lips.

_Stop!_ Kagome screamed in her head. She had to knock it off and keep her thoughts clean and focused at the task at hand. Because even if the chance for her to save Inuyasha from kidnappers presented itself, it wasn't like she could do much to help him out. She didn't have any powers, save for her weird, smiting, temperature hands, and she wasn't even sure she could do that again.

So now she was stuck. And the jerk knew it too. He was going to make her help him find his stupid jewel, and – oh God – she was going to do it.

Sango brushed by her, filling two glasses up with water and placing them both onto the island counter, sliding one towards Inuyasha and bringing the second one up to her own lips. Inuyasha's ears swiveled on his head, twitching as he frowned at the cup.

"What's this?" He asked suspiciously.

Sango rolled her eyes. "It's water. You look thirsty."

He picked the glass up and sniffed the rim.

"So what happened? Where did that man take you?" Sango asked, eyes on Inuyasha as he took a sip; then, shrugging, a big gulp.

Kagome shuddered as she swallowed another mouthful of the deliciously cool liquid. "It was some abandoned house around here. Kikyou was there."

Sango's grip tightened on her cup. "What did she say to you?"

Snorting at the ridiculousness of it all, Kagome put her empty glass down and pushed herself up onto the countertop, her legs swinging in mid-air. "She said a lot of stuff, but mostly it was youkai are bad and need to be wiped out to preserve humanity." She could feel the flush spreading across her face, knowing without having to be told how wrong Kikyou's views were. Genocide was not the answer to save the human race! …She didn't know what _was_, but genocide _wasn't_. For the first time since all this had started she wondered if Inuyasha was under the impression that all humans felt that way. She chanced another sneaky look up at Inuyasha. He was frowning at her, and when their eyes met, he shrugged.

"Sounds about right." He agreed.

Sango folded her arms, drink forgotten. "If she's against youkai so much, why is she keeping you alive?"

"I'm useful to her, obviously." He snapped, then wiped at his forehead.

"I'm just glad to be out of there," Kagome continued, meaning every word. "And I'm glad you're okay too, Sango, I was worried that I-"

Inuyasha made a sound then, a high-pitched whine from the back of his throat. His hand shot up to press again his chest. "Wha- …What the fuck?" He choked out before his eyes widened and he started tipping back.

Kagome opened her mouth to call out to him, but she was distracted by Sango, who jumped onto the island counter top and leapt at him. Her hand moved quickly, and Kagome barely caught the flash of a container of some sort before a purple mist spread across his face.

"Dammit!" He cursed as Sango slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Sango!" Kagome cried, slipping off the counter and dashing around the island as fast as she could. Sango had landed on top of Inuyasha, straddling his chest, one hand clutched at his throat and the other raised and posed to strike. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

"Back off, Kagome," Sango demanded, and it was then that Kagome noticed the metallic mask covering her mouth and nose. Her jaw dropped. She hadn't even seen Sango put it on.

"Don't get too close, you'll breathe it in." Sango's eyes stayed glued to Inuyasha. Kagome watched as a small, skinny blade slipped out from its hidden spot in her sleeve. Her blood ran cold.

"Sango, wait, _wait!_" She pleaded, sinking to her knees. Inuyasha's face was a mask of pain, jaw locked and perspiration gathering on his brow. He wasn't fighting her off, which meant something was very wrong. "What did you do to him?" She asked, desperate to stall.

"Can't… fucking move." Inuyasha grit out through his teeth. He grunted when Sango lifted his head and slammed it back onto the floor.

"Youkai poison," Sango said, "and Kagome, if you get too close it will affect you too. Stay back."

"How the hell did you get youkai poison?" Kagome wondered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Does it matter? This bastard tried to kill me. Tried to kill _us_."

What was the right thing to do? Kagome didn't know. Sango was right, Inuyasha had been nothing but pushy and scary since she released him from his imprisonment, yet… yet despite all that, there was something off about it all. Inuyasha could have easily snapped Sango's neck, but he hadn't. He could have easily thrown Kohaku against the wall hard enough to kill him, but he hadn't. He could have taken the discarded gun Kagome had been ordered to bring to him and shot her with it, but he'd crushed the thing until it was unusable instead.

There were a hundred opportunities for him to kill them, but he _hadn't_. And on top of all that he saved her.

Was it right for Sango to kill him?

No.

"No!" Kagome cried as Sango's arm pulled back again to deliver the final blow. She threw herself over Inuyasha's face and shoulders, shielding him with her body.

"Shit, Kagome, what are you doing?" Sango yelled, trying to pry her away from the Youkai. But Kagome refused to budge. She felt slight dizziness, but whatever the poison had been must have already been sucked mostly into Inuyasha's lungs, because she didn't seize up and fall over like he had. Instead, she formed a sort of cocoon over his upper body, her hair splayed out in a curtain over her head, her arms wrapped under her forehead. She could see Inuyasha's face in the enclosed space. She watched as his eyes closed, as he inhaled deeply.

"You… smell good." He said.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"You smell good," he repeated, "like vanilla and cherry blossom."

She stared at him. Her soap. He could smell her soap. He wasn't moving save for his chest; whatever poison Sango had given him had paralyzed him somehow. But with Kagome over him like this, he seemed… calm, almost. Like he wasn't going to fight it off if she was there to protect him.

Oh man, she was going crazy. She had no idea what the hanyou was thinking. For all she knew, he was planning on killing her and Sango as soon as the paralysis wore off. But she didn't think so. She didn't _want_ to think so.

"Kagome!" Sango shouted, furious that she kept getting in the way. Kagome lifted her head and turned to look over her shoulder.

"Sango, you can't kill him."

"Oh yeah? Just watch me. Get. Out. Of the. Way."

Kagome set her jaw. "No. You can't. He saved my life. Kikyou was going to kill me and he saved my life. If you kill him, it will be like taking my life for granted." She felt her face warm at the rage in Sango's eyes. Her best friend had never looked at her that way before, she had never seen Sango so angry.

"Please," Kagome begged. "He was wrong to attack us earlier, I know that, but he could have killed us all and he didn't."

"Bitch shot me first." Inuyasha mumbled under her, low enough for only her to pick up. She ignored him and kept going.

"He only needs me to collect the jewel shards, he could have killed you and Kohaku and forced me to go with him, but he didn't. _Please_, Sango!" For a few agonizingly long moments, Kagome thought Sango was going to push her off and just finish the job. But then her face relaxed, just a bit, and her arm lowered. She sat back on her heels and dragged a hand back through her hair, then pulled the mask away from her face.

"Kagome," she started, shaking her head, "he's a youkai, which makes him dangerous. I can't have him in this house anymore."

Kagome frowned, but nodded. It was Sango's house, she certainly couldn't force her to let Inuyasha stay here. Sango stood and moved back to the kitchen sink, where she turned the faucet on and splashed water on her face. Kagome sat up and looked down at Inuyasha. His eyes were still closed, his chest still rising and falling in steady rhythm.

"Will it… will the poison wear off?" She asked, dreading the answer.

There was a pause, then the water stopped running and Sango stepped back into view, her face damp. "Yes. It's just paralysis poison, it won't kill him."

Relief washed through her, although she wasn't sure if it was because Inuyasha wasn't going to die, or because Sango had yet to become a killer. A thought struck her then. "Where did you even get paralysis poison?"

The corners of her lips quirked up into a smile, that same amused, I-have-a-secret-and-it's-awesome smile that she'd come to know so well over the years. "Apparently, martial arts is not the only thing my parents practice." She said.

"Youkai hunting is my fucking guess," Inuyasha moaned as he slowly pushed his head off the ground, supporting his upper body on his elbows.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, turning towards him. "You can move!" She instinctively reached out, placing her palm on his forehead. He didn't feel like he had a fever, even though his brow was slick with perspiration. "You should probably lie down for a bit."

His eyes moved to hers, and he reached up with his hand, gripping at her wrist. "Keh. I'm fine, wench, stop mothering me." Then he froze, his eyes widening, and Kagome felt a sudden shock run through her. She was hyper aware of the skin his fingers touched. She couldn't move her eyes from his, and if he kept moving closer to her like that she was going to lose it.

"Ah-_hem_." Sango cleared her throat, and Inuyasha pushed her arm away. Kagome was left feeling cold and detached.

"Well, I'm getting the hell out of here." Inuyasha pushed himself all the way up, his legs wobbling dangerously under his weight.

"Do that." Sango replied, eyes narrowed.

Kagome forced herself not to glare at her friend. She stood alongside Inuyasha and held her hands out to steady him, but he shook them away.

"Next time you think of using any of that weak poison shit on me, you'd better be prepared to finish me off." He threatened.

Sango pushed away from the counter, and the hidden dagger slid out from her sleeve again. "Don't try me, Youkai. I may have just learned of your existence, and I may have just learned of my heritage, but I can promise you that I have been training my whole life to defend myself against you. Kagome's protection only goes so far."

Inuyasha's lips pulled back in a snarl, and Sango stepped back into a stance.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Kagome exclaimed, throwing herself between them, her hands held out as if she could push both of them away. She couldn't, of course, they were both much stronger than she was. "Stop fighting, I can't take it anymore. Sango, Inuyasha and I will leave."

"_You_ don't have to go, Kagome, I just want _him_ to-"

"I have to go home anyway, mom is going to kill me for staying out so… late…" As she spoke the words, her heart skipped a beat, and the last thing Miroku had said as she and Inuyasha fled slammed into her.

_"Let the doppelganger know there's a little present waiting for her at home!"_

"Oh." Kagome took a step back, her eyes wide and horrified. She could feel both Sango and Inuyasha's eyes on her, but their stupid, petty problems was not in the forefront of her mind anymore.

"What is it?" Inuyasha growled.

"My _family_!" She exclaimed, terrified that they were dead. "How could I forget?! It was that stupid sifting you dragged me through, I- I-"

He stepped forward and grabbed her upper arm, ignoring the warning glare from Sango. "What about your family?"

"Miroku said something, right before we sifted, that there was a present waiting for me at home."

Realization dawned over Sango's face, and she became as pale as Kagome felt.

"Keh." Inuyasha said, whirling around and stalking towards the front door, dragging Kagome behind him. "I'll take you there. Show me the way."

She could feel the panic rising inside of her, feel the irrational thoughts flashing through her head. "What if… what if she killed them? Inuyasha, what if she killed my family and-"

"Oi, wench. Look at me!" He gripped her chin tight in his clawed fingers and forced her eyes to meet his. "Calm down. You don't know what she'd done, it could just be an empty threat."

His eyes were piercing. They impaled her. She couldn't catch her breath, couldn't breathe. And then, as if a switch went off, she was calm again. She could hear his heart beating, and she regulated her breathing to match his.

"You calm?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Get on my back. We'll make sure your family is okay."

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Aaand this chapter is finally done. Here's to hoping the next one doesn't take so long!

When you review it makes my cloudy days turn to sunshine. Please let me know what you think!

~SugarRos


	19. Chapter 19: Kagome's Family

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Notes: Hello everyone! Thank you again for the lovely reviews, and for sticking with me so far!

This chapter wasn't written to any music. Dunno why I wasn't feeling it this time around.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 19: Kagome's Family

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Kagome

"I am _not_ getting on your back."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, arms folded over his chest, ears twitching atop his head. At this point all of the poison must have seeped out of him, because Kagome could tell he had control over every action now. She knew from his amused expression that he was going to argue.

"Why not?"

Why not? _Why not?_ Because his simple touch made her skin warm up and her mind get fuzzy and she kept replaying every time he'd kissed her over and over in her head, that's why. If innocent touching did all that, she knew for sure she could not handle being pressed against his back, especially when he wasn't wearing a shirt!

But damn if she was going to let him know _that_.

"I'm not riding on your back like a horse!" She snapped, trying her best not to blush and failing miserably.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he reached for her wrist again and tugged her towards the front door. "Come on, I don't have time to argue about this with you. Daylight will be here soon, and riding my back is the fastest way for us to travel."

"Uh…" Kagome argued, but she couldn't really find a rebuttal for that. She half-heartedly struggled against him, but she knew it was useless. And she _was_ worried about her family, even if her initial panic had, for some reason she couldn't quite understand, subsided.

Inuyasha opened the front door and led Kagome outside before pulling his hair to the side. With deft fingers, he braided the long, milky-white strands into a thick braid over his shoulder. She was left with a perfect view of his back, and it was just as defined as his front. The world she lived in was just not fair. She gulped and tried unsuccessfully not to follow the lines of muscle that ran down to his butt, which was still mercifully covered by his borrowed pants.

She must have been standing there for an awkward amount of time, because Inuyasha turned to look at her over his shoulder. "What the hell are you waiting for, let's go!"

Pulled out of her revere, Kagome sighed and stepped towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. She suddenly felt horribly embarrassed, and could not for the life of her force herself to climb on.

"For fuck's sake wench, what the hell is taking you so long?" He barked, and his hands swooped under her knees and lifted her to his back himself, pressing her legs into his side.

She tried desperately to keep as much of herself from touching him as possible, which was in turn proving to be _im_possible. As he straightened up to his full six-foot-whatever height, she was forced to wrap her arms around his neck for fear of falling off and cracking her head on the pavement. She felt his chuckle reverberate though him.

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" She chided.

"Sorry, sorry," he continued to chuckle through his apology. "Don't worry, I won't drop you."

Sango stepped outside then, stopping short at the sight of the two of them. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't comment on it. She kept her eyes solely on Kagome. "You want me to come with you?" She asked.

Even though she was being a bit harsh towards Inuyasha, Kagome knew that Sango was as worried about her family as she was. "That would be nice," she said, meaning every word.

Inuyasha shook his head. He took a step back and bared his teeth. "No way am I carrying you on my back, slayer-bitch. I trust you about as much as I trust my own damn brother – and I don't trust him at all."

"I wouldn't get on your back if it were the only ride out of hell." She spat back. "Don't worry, I know my own way. I'll check on Kohaku and meet you there, Kagome."

"Your brother is fine, I didn't fucking harm the brat."

"Can we please stop the bickering until I at least know my family is okay?" Kagome intervened before they got out of hand again. "Sango, I'll see you at my place."

"Fine." She said, before turning back into her house and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Bitch." Inuyasha muttered.

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about."

"She's still a bitch." He growled

"And you tried to strangle her up against a wall. I think you guys might be about even." She was somewhat surprised when his only rebuttal was a grunt.

"Which way?" He asked, then rolled his eyes when she pointed to the left. "We're not walking down the street, we're going _over_ the street. _Which way_?"

Sighing, not bothering to argue with him over it, she pointed north through a block of developed houses.

"Get ready," he warned. He didn't wait for a reply before crouching down onto his heels and shooting straight up into the air.

Kagome felt the ear-splitting shriek streaming from her lips as her stomached dropped down into her feet. Her hair whipped around her face, and suddenly they were up, up, up, higher than Sango's roof, higher than the trees. Dark night sky filled her vision, and she squeezed her knees against him as hard and she could and hid her face into his shoulder. Holy shit, she was going to die.

"Oi, knock it off with the screaming, you're hurting my ears!"

She immediately clamped her teeth shut as she felt the free-fall back down to earth, her tummy doing somersaults. She waited for the jarring impact of concrete and bone, but was pleasantly surprised when Inuyasha's landing – and subsequent leap into the air – was smooth and effortless. After two or three more bounds her stomach settled into the rhythm, and at the fourth, she chanced a peek from his shoulder, keeping her eyes skyward, not daring a look down. The few hundred or so stars she could see seemed to expand, to fly towards her as she and Inuyasha leapt into the atmosphere. The air she breathed in was crisp and cool, and she eased back a little, letting the wind catch her hair in a way that sent it tumbling and tossing behind her. She kept her grip tight on his bare shoulders, her elbows locked straight, and she leaned back as far as she could.

Exhilarating.

Breathtaking.

Intoxicating.

She was flying. _Flying_. Up into space and back down to earth again. The rooftops rushed up at her faster and faster, and then they were gone, and she was in her own bubble of unblemished, unmarred _perfection_ surrounded by the night sky.

"Keep your eyes out, Kagome. Are we getting close?"

"I can't look down!" She gasped, her voice breathless in her own ears.

"Keh!" Inuyasha stayed earthside when he landed this time, and turned his chin over the shoulder not supporting his hair. "Which way?"

Getting her bearings long enough to figure out where they were, Kagome pointed a bit more to the west this time. "That way, about ten or so blocks down."

"Got it." He said, then crouched and leapt into the air again.

This time Kagome was ready for it. She locked her eyes skyward and leaned back again. A holler of excitement passed her lips this time, not a scream of terror, and she picked one hand up, reaching towards the stars as if she could catch a handful between her fingers and take them home.

It felt so _right_, flying like this on Inuyasha's back, the wind in her hair, the feeling of weightlessness as the youkai moved fluidly beneath her. Too soon it would over as Kagome led the way to her house.

Inuyasha landed at the bottom of the shrine steps and allowed her to climb off his back. She was struck aware of the sudden loss of warmth and tried not to think about it too much.

"A shrine? You live in a shrine?" Inuyasha asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. His golden eyes turned to lock onto hers. "You're a shrine maiden?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "What?" She asked, and she could feel that her voice hadn't lost the breathlessness from the ride over. "It's not so uncommon today, there are still lots of shrines around. Besides, it's not like I practice or anything, much to the dismay of my grandfather."

The tips of his mouth curved into an amused smile, and Kagome was again caught up in him. She felt adrenaline rushing through her veins, left over from flying amongst the stars. She was alive and giddy, and more than anything, she wanted to kiss him.

Something about her face must have changed, because suddenly, Inuyasha's eyes turned dark, mirroring her own desire. The air between them sizzled, she couldn't look away from him. She let him gather her up in his arms, felt them wrap securely around her waist and her feet leave the ground as he pulled her to him. He was going to kiss her, she knew, his lips millimeters away from her own. He paused there, and she couldn't think straight, couldn't string together a comprehensive rationalization. She didn't want to. She just wanted him to kiss her!

"What the hell are you doing to me?" He growled, before crushing his lips to her.

What the hell was she doing to him? What the hell was _he_ doing to _her_? She was the one going crazy, constantly plagued by thoughts of him, constantly wanting to touch him, to taste him, just like she was doing now.

He backed her up into the torii gate at the base of the stairs so she was pressed between the rough, painted wood and his hard chest. He kissed her there, his hands wrapping in her hair, pressing his need up against her. Her hands moved across his abdomen, memorizing the lines that rippled across before her hand moved up to rub an ear.

He moaned into her, and she could feel her hands trembling like her insides were trembling. She was going to explode. He'd kissed her enough times now that she knew what to expect, yet it still shocked her to the core, the way her toes curled, they way her fingers dug into him, the way she responded to him with just as much intensity. He drew back slowly from the kiss, hooded eyes gazing into her. "Kagome." He said, and she shuttered at hearing him say her name.

"Ah-" was all she could say back as he bent to nip and lap at the sensitive skin where her neck and shoulder met.

"What the fuck are you doing to me?" He repeated, his hands moving up her sides to cup her breasts. She leaned into him, her body craving more. "I need you right now."

"Me too." She breathed, tugging at his ear, pulling his mouth up to hers again. "I need you right now too."

He kissed her, again and again, and she felt herself melting into him. "Inuyasha, please?" She begged between kisses. She could feel how wet she was for him, the throbbing between her thighs a steady rhythm with her heartbeat. She vividly remembered how he'd pressed his fingers into her on Sango's rooftop, the way they'd stretched her open and filled her. Her body ached to be filled again. He needed to fill her again _right now_.

"_Please_!" She begged.

Something changed in him then. He stiffened, and his lips stopped moving on hers, and he pulled back, eyes wide and clear.

What the hell was he doing? He should be kissing her, he should be pulling her closer, not gently setting her down on her feet and stepping away.

"Fuck." He growled.

"Inuyasha, what? What's wrong, did I-"

"Shut up," he snapped. "You didn't do anything, just… stop talking for a second." He closed his eyes and took a deep, visible breath.

Kagome's mind scrambled, trying to figure out why he'd suddenly pushed her away. She was still shaking, her need for him so strong.

He sighed and opened his eyes. They were clear still, all traces of the hooded lust that had been swimming in them earlier gone. "We can't do this right now Kagome, we need to check on your family."

Her family! "Oh. Oh yeah. I, uh… forgot." She said. And she had. She'd forgotten to be afraid for her family, although she hadn't forgotten the threat against them. That worried Kagome. Or at least, it _should_ have worried her.

…Now that she thought about it, she hadn't been worried for her family the whole ride over. She'd been exhilarated instead, her body pumping with adrenaline, excited to be flying amongst the stars. And then of course, she'd been consumed with thoughts of Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha.

It didn't make sense to her. It was like there was a wall of some kind, a mental block. Her family was in danger. And her mind didn't give a damn.

Something was very wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on it. It was something she would need help with. She couldn't figure it out on her own.

"Inuyasha…" she started, following him as he made his way up the steps. She touched her hand to her lips. They felt swollen from his kisses. "I think we have a problem."

"Yeah, your family, that's why we're here."

"No, not my family – I mean, _yes_, my family is a problem, but this is different. I can't…" How could she explain what it was that was happening to her? "…I feel like one of my emotions have been completely turned off. Like there's a specific fear section of my brain that's been cut out and now there's a big empty hole there."

He didn't turn to look at her, just kept his pace moving up the steps. "Are you trying to tell me you don't experience fear? Cause you seemed pretty damn scared to me when we started the ride over here."

Kagome bit her lip. She _had_ been scared when Inuyasha had taken that first jump into the sky, but this different. Fear wasn't the right word, it was…

_Worry_.

"Why am I not worried about what's happened to my family?" She asked as they reached the top of the steps and made their way across the front courtyard.

"Your grandfather doesn't have any shields or barriers set up or anything, does he?"

Kagome huffed in annoyance. He was avoiding her question. "No, he sells love talismans and good luck charms."

"Good, you can never be too careful." He said as they reached Kagome's front door. He moved to grip the handle but Kagome stepped in front of his hand, blocking his way.

"Answer me."

He pulled back, his eyes darting away. "Answer _what_?"

"Why am I not worried about what's happened to my family?" She repeated, her tone much more firm this time. "I was terrified for them, I _remember_ being terrified for them, so why am I so calm about it now?"

He took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. "Keh." He said. "How should I know?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. Something wasn't adding up here. She has been out of her mind with worry, and then-

"_Calm down!"_ He'd told her.

Demanded her.

Calm down.

Her eyes widened in shock. "You… You _spelled_ me!" She accused, a shaking finger pointing straight at the guilty party. "You _spelled_ me into being calm! You turned me into one of your zombies!" Her voice had grown to a high-pitched screech and she bared her teeth in anger.

"O-oi!" Inuyasha said, taking another step back. "Don't freak out."

"Freak out? _Freak out?!_ You have two choices, hanyou, you either un-spell me _right this instant_ or I fry your brains out!" She cried, raising both her hands to show off the sparking energy that had, in the last few seconds, appeared with her anger.

"What else have you been spelling me to do?" She continued, wracking her brains to remember all her actions during the past week. Everything at the moment was blurring together with her anger. What had he made her do?

A horrible thought shot straight through her. The kiss under the tori gate. Had he spelled her to kiss him? Was Sango right about it all? Was he spelling her to need him so much?

"Would you fucking listen to me before you try to purify me?" He snapped, dodging as she swung at him.

"Talk. Fast." She seethed.

"Yeah, so I spelled you, okay? But you were on the verge of panic and panic is not a good thing. I didn't want you freaking out and falling off my back on the way over."

"What else have you spelled me to do?"

"_Nothing_!"

"Why do I need you so bad? Why can't I stop thinking about you?"

"Oi, if you're obsessed with me it's not because of anything I've done, you crazy bitch!"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying!" He roared, dodging her again. "I haven't spelled you to do anything other than stay calm over your family, dammit!"

"Undo it!" She roared back.

He stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Kagome, I don't think-"

"_Undo it!_"

He inhaled deeply, then let his breath rush out in one big whoosh. "Fine." He growled, stalking over to her and grabbing at her shoulders. "Look me in the eyes."

She raised her lashes and glared into that unique golden color she still couldn't seem to get enough of.

"Kagome, your family is in danger. You shouldn't be so calm."

For a few moments nothing happened. Then terror slammed into her. Oh god, she was going to be sick! She whipped around and dashed for the front door, yanking it open and rushing inside.

It was pitch black, the inside lights were off. If what Miroku had said was just a bluff, they should be sleeping soundly in their beds, but if not…

She flicked the kitchen lights on and raced for the stairs.

"Mama?! Souta?! Jiji?!" She cried, taking the steps two at a time and slamming her mother's bedroom door open. "Mama!"

The room was dark, her mother's bed unmade. Although she could see the room clearly enough she still turned on the lights to make sure. She also checked the adjoining bathroom and closet.

Finding not one trace of her mother save for the smell of her perfume that always saturated the room, Kagome rushed to her grandfather's room, finding it in the same state: empty. Souta's room was dark and quiet and deserted as well.

Slowly, the stark loneliness creeping through her chest and enveloping her heart, Kagome crawled into her littler brother's bed, pulling the recently-washed sheets over her head and curling up into a ball.

She tried really hard not to cry.

She failed.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but it didn't seem like more than a few minuets before Inuyasha quietly entered the room and lay a clawed hand on her covered shoulder.

"Oi." He said softly.

Kagome sniffed.

"Hey, are you crying?"

"No." She lied, but her wavering voice betrayed her.

"Well stop it." He demanded, but his voice didn't match his words. He kept his tone calm and quiet. "You need to be strong for your family."

Sighing, Kagome pulled the sheets away from her face. Inuyasha kneeled over her, his braided hair hanging down over his shoulder, his eyes sharp and focused. She tried to think back to the moment when his features, although always beautiful to her, had stopped being so alien. She wondered what her mom would have thought about his ears. Would she have cringed in horror or reached up to give them a feel?

Not that it mattered right now.

"My family is gone." She said, all cares about spelling dissipated for the moment. "Do you think Kikyou killed them?" As she allowed herself to speak the words she felt her eyes immediately fill with unleashed tears. Her vision was too blurred to see Inuyasha's hand reach towards her, and she jumped a bit when she felt the rough pads of his fingertips on the sensitive skin under her eyes.

She couldn't help the gasp that slipped between her lips as he wiped at her tears as they fell from her face.

"No." He finally answered. "I don't think she killed them. Come with me."

Kagome stiffened for a moment, wondering if he'd spelled her again, but her panic was still tight in her chest, she was still scared for her family and she didn't _want_ to follow him, she wanted to stay curled up in her brother's bed and cry herself to sleep. She couldn't feel an emotional block in her head. All these things told her he hadn't spelled her. He was just being gentle with her.

So she let him slip his hand between her fingers, let him help her off the bed. She followed him down the hallway and the stairs and into the family room.

"I found this." He said, picking up a deep green envelope that had been placed on the coffee table and holding it up for her to see. It was small for an envelope and a perfect square, with Kagome's name written in gold in large, fancy, looping letters. Kagome had never seen anything quite like it.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a message. From Kikyou." His eyes turned hard and he set his jaw. She could see his muscle jump as he clenched his teeth in anger.

Kagome's eyes widened as she grabbed the envelope from his hands and ripped it open. The paper she pulled out was square and flat and the color of eggshell. There was nothing on it.

"What is this?" She looked up at Inuyasha, confused. But he didn't have to answer, because just then a small hologram popped up from the center of the paper, a miniature Kikyou stood on the palm of Kagome's hand.

"Doppelganger, it wasn't so hard tracking your family down. I want you to remember how easily it is that I can find you and your family, and how easy it is that they bend to my will."

Kagome's mouth fell open and her eyes darted to Inuyasha, who was listening intently to the message.

"You have something I want, and now I have something you want. I propose an exchange. I will give you back your family if you cease helping Inuyasha at once and deliver him in the morning in his mirror. I will erase your memories, and this time I promise you will not get them back. You will be able to live in peace with your family without the burden of knowing of youkai and their toll on this world. I will give you until noon to make this exchange. If you decide to ignore this message, I will be forced to harm your family. On the piece of paper is the address where we will meet.

She disappeared then, and Kagome and Inuyasha stood in a tense silence. Kikyou's words sunk in, and Kagome knew exactly what she had to do.

"Inuyasha…" she started.

"No." He said. "Hell no. No fucking way am I going back to being under that bitch's control. Fuck no!" He started pacing back and forth across the carpeted floor.

"Inuyasha, you _heard_ her, she'd going to hurt my family!"

"I'm sorry for your family, Kagome, but there is no way in hell I'm going back!"

The panic started to kick in again. "You'll let her kill them? You'll let her kill my mom and my twelve-year-old brother and my eighty-year-old grandfather? They're innocent in all this! They're all I have, my only family, Inuyasha you can't be that cruel!"

"Cruel? _Cruel?!_" He roared, turning on her, his eyes wild and his fangs bared. "You don't know the meaning of cruel! You have no idea what that _bitch_ makes me do under her control. You have no idea the nightmare-inducing acts I've been forced to commit! Cruel would be taking me back and handing me over!"

Taken aback at his outburst, Kagome could only shake her head in disbelief. "What does she make you do that's so awful?"

"You don't want to know." He growled.

"I do! I want to know what she makes you do that makes you hate her so much!"

"She fucking makes me hunt down and kill youkai and hanyou." He said, his voice shaking with barely-suppressed rage. "She makes me track down youkai, ones that have done _nothing_ to harm humans, ones that are doing nothing but living their lives peacefully and rip their fucking throats out. Every fucking time I get out of the mirror I murder ten more of my people. And that's not even the worse of it." He stopped then, breathing heavily, pinning her down with his gaze, anger radiating from every inch of him.

"Don't you fucking talk to me about _cruel_." He sneered, then turned his back to her.

Stunned into silence, Kagome felt her cheeks dampen again. The horror of what Inuyasha had been through was too much for her. How could she turn him in, if that's what he was forced to do?

But how could she not, for her family?

She reached out towards his back, wanting desperately to comfort him, but not knowing how, even the smallest bit.

"Inuyasha, I-" She started, her mind a tumble. What could she do? How could she fix this so her family stayed alive and Inuyasha was safe from murdering his own people?

She didn't have to think too long though, because a quiet knock sounded on the door.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome stiffened at the same time, and Inuyasha growled, low and long.

"Who the hell…? Kagome wondered, turning to peer through the kitchen and to the front door. It was five in the morning, who could have been visiting so early? "Kikyou?" She wondered aloud.

She heard Inuyasha sniff beside her. "No." He said. "Doesn't smell like her."

"Maybe the paper boy?" She said and moved to the front door as the mystery guest knocked again. She reached for the door handle and turned the knob.

"Kagome!" Hojou said, smiling that cute smile. He stood on her front doorstep, in jeans and a hoodie, his hair tasseled from what Kagome could only assume was sleep.

"Hojou!" She cried, utterly confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Sango called me and woke me up, said I needed to get over here fast, that it was an emergency?" He said, stepping through the doorway. Dumbfounded, Kagome stepped aside to let him in.

"She _what_?!"

"She called me. What's the emergency?"

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but her faced drained of color when she heard the low, warning growl from behind her. She opened her mouth to warn him to run, but it was too late. Inuyasha pounced, grabbing Hojou by the front of his shirt and slamming him back into the kitchen wall.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" He growled.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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Ta-daaaa~! All done! I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll be posting the next chapter of From the Future next, so keep an eye out for it.

Please review and let me know what you think! Also, come say hi to me on my new tumbler page under SugarRosFanfiction!

~SugarRos


	20. Chapter 20: The Thing About Hojou

Youkai in the Mirror

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Author's Notes: Whaaat? Chapter 20? No way! I can't believe this crazy ride is still chugging right along. And what's that? 200 REVIEWS?! I'm so stoked, my reviewers are the best. Thank you for sticking with me and continuing to review!

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to alex's world, for posting the 200th review for YITM! Thank you so much for your review alex's world! I'll keep churning these babies out as long as you keep reading them!

This chapter was written to various songs by Hammock.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 20: The Thing About Hojou…

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Sango

Sango followed a safe distance behind Kagome and the youkai, her eyes never leaving the back of his head. She meant it when she told Kagome she didn't want him in her house. After the shit he pulled with them earlier, he was lucky he was still alive.

He _had_ saved Kagome's life, and Sango was nothing if not honorable. She loved Kagome like a sister. Letting Inuyasha go was paying a debt for returning her friend safely, but if he stepped inside her house again she'd kill him.

As Sango moved out onto the porch she froze at the sight of Kagome climbing onto his back. Her initial reaction was to reach out and rip her best friend away from the dangerous youkai, but she squashed that urge deep down. She bit the insides of her cheeks, straining to keep her mouth shut. Her fingers clenched into tight fists at her sides, willing herself to stay in control. She kept her eyes locked to her best friend. "You want me to come with you?" She asked, half hoping Kagome would take her up on her offer, and half hoping she wouldn't.

"That would be nice." The overwhelming sincerity in Kagome's answer didn't go unnoticed.

Inuyasha growled then, showing off more of his youkai traits. "No way am I carrying you on my back, slayer-bitch. I trust you about as much as I trust my own damn brother – and I don't trust him at all."

Sango lost control of her temper a bit. She said her words as if she were spitting on him. "I wouldn't get on you back if it were the only ride out of hell. Don't worry, I know my own way." She gave a curt nod to Kagome then, needing Inuyasha gone as soon as possible. "I'll check on Kohaku and meet you there, Kagome."

"Your brother is fine, I didn't fucking harm the brat."

Sango was going to throttle him. She felt her heartbeat pounding out the rhythm of her anger, throbbing in her chest, the need to finish him off rushing through her-

"Can we please stop the bickering until I at least know my family is okay?" Kagome's voice cut sharply through Sango's rage, and she instantly regained her self-control. "Sango, I'll see you at my place."

"Fine." Sango said, relieved that she didn't lose it right then and there. She turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her, then quickly moved to the window to watch the pair as they started to argue.

Damn Inuyasha. Damn him. The only reason she had been able to subdue him so quickly before was due to the element of surprise. Without that at her side, he was going to be harder to take down. And she didn't want Kagome in the middle of it when she tried again.

Besides, now he knew Sango's true intentions. He was going to be wary of her from now on. She was going to have to get a lot more practice actually killing youkai, and quickly. Either that, or she'd need backup.

It was like the gears in her head clicked into place.

Backup.

She watched from behind the curtain as Kagome pointed off in the general direction of her house, and Inuyasha crouched down and shot up into the night sky.

Backup.

Her parents. She needed to call her parents. Now that the youkai was out of her house and Kagome was, for the most part, fairly safe, Sango had the wits about her to actually think her actions through.

Her parents would rush right over from their training seminar. They'd be back by morning, and then they'd help her hunt down and kill Inuyasha, and then Kagome would _truly_ be safe, and they wouldn't have to worry about magical spells or haughty, cocky, overbearing youkai barging into her house and stealing her friend away into the dead of night.

Sango rushed up into her bedroom, where Kohaku was still crumpled up on her bed. She went to his side and placed her hands on his cheeks, leaning in close to check his breathing. He moaned, soft and low, but he was breathing and no arms or legs appeared to be broken. Quickly Sango moved to her desk, swiping up her cell phone and flipping it open to see a purikura photo of her and Kagome making silly faces into the camera. Sighing out of pure frustration she hit the button to call her father.

It rang. And rang. Just before it went to voicemail he picked up, out of breath and voice strained.

"Hello?"

"Daddy!" Sango cried as she flopped boneless into her desk chair. She'd never been more relieved to hear his voice.

"Sango, what is it? I'm in the middle of – dammit! – training!"

"Well, you should stop training and listen to me for five seconds. It's an emergency."

He paused on the other line, and Sango heard scuffling and grunting.

"Hold on one second!" He finally said, the noises continuing. Frowning, Sango straightened up and pulled the phone away from her ear, glaring down at it. Had he actually picked up her call and then continued a sparring match?

After a few seconds of scuffling and grunting – a few screams and shrieks of terror as well? Or was it just her imagination? – and her father was back, a bit more breathless than before. "What is it Sango? What's the emergency? Is your brother okay?"

"He's fine, but…" She hesitated, worried for a split second that she'd dreamt the whole thing up - the mirror, Inuyasha, the secret basement under her house. None of this was normal. A rational person would have gone insane at this point. But there was no way to tell him other than to just spit it out. "Dad, I found the secret room. I found your recording."

He didn't reply.

"About the youkai…" She said, her voice raising in uncertainty at his lack of response.

"How did you find it?" He asked, his tone rough and… did she detect anger?

"One of them got into the house. A youkai."

"_What_?"

She could feel his anger through the phone. "Dad, this youkai broke into my bedroom and attacked me and Kagome. He threw Kohaku across the room. I had your gun and I shot him, but it – it missed, and then he grabbed me and he-"

"Sango!" Her father shouted through the phone, cutting her off. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine, but I remembered what you said about the laundry downstairs, and I found the room and-" She was babbling. She could hear her voice shaking and she was talking way too fast. Taking a deep, steadying breath, willing herself not to cry, she clutched her phone in both her hands, trying to keep herself together. "Dad, can you and mom come home? I don't think I can handle this with just Kohaku and myself." She felt her face flush with shame.

He sighed, loud and heavy through the line. "I'm sorry baby girl, I can't." He said, and Sango felt her chest tighten in panic. "Now that you know the truth about our family though, I can tell you that your mother and I are not at a training seminar."

She sat up straight in her chair at his confession. "What?"

"We're not at a seminar, we're on a slaying hunt."

"…._What_?!" Sango cried, all present concerns momentarily forgotten. "What are you saying? Are you… Are you _slaying_ a youkai while you're on the phone with me?"

He paused, and through his silence Sango listened more intently to the muffled noises in the background.

"You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me!" Sango yelled, standing abruptly from her desk chair, causing it to clatter noisily to the floor.

"Hey young lady! Language!"

"You've been going off on these dangerous missions without telling me about it?!" She cried, ignoring his lame attempts to remind her who she was talking to. At the moment, Sango didn't care who she was talking to. All this crap was coming at her at once, it was too much. She whipped around when Kohaku moaned and turned onto his side, rubbing his right shoulder.

"Sango, we didn't have a choice, you and Kohaku are too young to come along and we-"

"I'm seventeen!" She shrieked into the phone, on the verge of truly flipping out. She paced back and forth across her bedroom floor, keeping watchful eyes on Kohaku as he slowly arose from oblivion.

"Calm down." Her father's voice had switched to the tone he used when trying to gain control of an argument. It always worked. Sango snapped her mouth shut.

"Your mother and I cannot come home right now, we have to finish the job, but you-"

"Dad, this youkai flung Kohaku across the room like he was a ragdoll! He almost choked the life out of me, you can't just leave me here to do this alone, I-"

"_Sango_."

Her teeth snapped shut again at his tone, but she couldn't help the frustrated tear that slipped over her lashes and trailed its way down her cheek. Sango's hand came up to furiously wipe away at the offending leaked water. She refused to cry. Refused.

"We're not abandoning you to fight this alone. There's someone who can help you there. I'm going to give you a number to call. Write it down. You ready?"

Biting back a frustrated grunt, Sango moved back to her desk and grabbed a pen and tore a piece of paper off her notepad. "Go ahead." She scribbled down the number as he recited it to her. "Who is he?" She asked.

"A friend. Sango, I have to help your mother, we'll be back soon. Call him, he'll help you take care of the problem. And stay smart, you understand? Youkai are dangerous. I've trained you your whole life for this, so remember what I taught you."

"Dad, I-"

"Love you baby girl." The phone cut off.

It took all of Sango's control not to chuck her phone against the far wall and watch it shatter into a million pieces. Instead, she moved to Kohaku's side. He was blinking up at the ceiling, his eyes confused and worried.

"…Sango?" He asked.

"Hey, you feeling okay?"

He nodded his head, and slowly sat up, looking around. "What happened?"

"Everything's okay, Kohaku," Sango said, trying to reassure him, but feeling more like she was reassuring herself. "That man won't be back to bother us anymore."

"I- I thought he was going to kill you."

"I took care of it." Sango reached out to run her hand through his hair. She ruffled it a little. "I'm just glad you're okay. I have a lot to tell you, but first I have to make a phone call. You feel sick? Nauseous?"

He shook his head.

"Okay good. I'll be right back. If anything hurts, shout for me." With another nod of confirmation, Sango stood and made her way out of her bedroom and into the hall. She took the stairs two at a time and headed straight for the kitchen. She stood over the spot where she had knocked Inuyasha to the ground earlier. What would have happened had Kagome allowed her to finish him off? What would it have felt like to slay her first youkai?

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She never would have thought in her wildest nightmares that she would one day be standing in her very own kitchen debating about slaying _anything_, much less spell-weaving youkai. But this was what her life was now. Her father's confirmation made the whole ordeal so much more real. And this person he wanted her to call, this slayer that could help her… It meant she wasn't alone. Her family wasn't alone. There were other slayers out there.

She wondered what this person was like.

Well, she'd find out soon enough once she called him. Steadying her hands, she punched the numbers into her phone and waited.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Sango."

Shocked, she didn't reply right away. It was five in the morning, he should have been asleep. But whoever he was, he sounded awake and alert.

He also sounded familiar.

"Sango, you there? Is everything okay?"

There was something about the way he spoke that sentence that made it click for her. She immediately knew who he was. She inhaled sharply, reeling at the secret he had been keeping all this time.

"You've got to _fucking_ be kidding me!" She roared.

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Inuyasha

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" Inuyasha growled, pushing as much menace behind his words as his voice would allow. He had the human's shirt fisted in his grasp, tangled in his claws. His knuckles were pressing into his chest, holding him up against the wall. He immediately couldn't stand this guy. He dug his knuckles into his chest harder and smirked when the human winced.

The bastard smelled like Kagome. Inuyasha's sensitive nose could pick up the trace scent of her on him. Which meant that she touched him. A lot. And now that he thought about it, he'd smelled this guy on Kagome back when she first pulled him from the mirror. It was all nonsensical smells back then, little details that he hadn't had time for, but _now_ it bothered him.

It _shouldn't_ bother him, because what the hell did he care who the wench was close to? Who she touched? Who she kissed?

**Me.** The youkai inside him growled. **She kisses **_**me**_**.** He tried to shove his youkai back, but it was fighting him, and it was pissing him off. Stupid doppelganger, kissing him like she wanted him, kissing him like she wanted nothing but him. _"Why do I need you so bad?"_ She'd asked him. _"Why can't I stop thinking about you?"_ And he'd been furious over being accused of spelling her to kiss him, so he'd called her things like 'obsessed' and 'crazy bitch,' while his youkai had been grinning inside.

**Of course she needs you. Of course she can't stop thinking about you.** His youkai had murmured comfortingly. And who the fuck would choose some simpering, cowering human male over someone like Inuyasha?

He frowned mentally, remembering Kagome's reactions to him after he'd been sucked back inside the mirror that time. Her disgust for him. She claimed she was no racist, but he'd seen the same fear in others' eyes before her. He'd seen it over and over. 300 years was a very long time to go through life a half breed.

Despite her wavering affections, Inuyasha _still_ didn't like the fact that he could clearly smell her on this guy. He didn't fucking share the women he was planning to bed, and at this point, he'd be damned if Kagome wasn't going to be in his bed one way or another.

The human brought his hands up to tug at Inuyasha's arm, but that only made him tighten his grip and narrow his eyes in warning.

"L-let me go!" He demanded.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Answer my question."

Instead of obeying, the prick moved his wide, terrified eyes to Kagome, one hand reaching out towards her. "Ka-Kagome." He gasped.

Oh good, a second reason to dislike the bastard. The way he spoke to Kagome. Like he was worried for her safety. Ha. Her safety. As if she'd be in any danger when she was with him. ...Well, sure, Kikyou had gone after her, but that was hardly _his_ fault. _He_ wasn't the one born with the damn jewel in his side. But one thing was for sure, Kagome was safer under his watch then she would be under a stupid little human boy. And he sure as hell wasn't letting anything happen to the one person who could free him from the mirror other than Kikyou.

Inuyasha reached out and slapped his stretching fingers down, gripping him under the chin, squeezing at his cheeks so his lips scrunched together to look like some sort of malformed fish, and forced his gaze back to where it should be. "Oi, don't talk to her, talk to me."

That brought about the third thing he didn't like about this guy: his eyes. They'd been friendly enough when Kagome had first opened the door, true, and he guessed he could see why the human might be somewhat attractive to her, but they were also clear and calculating, although he was doing a damn good job of looking scared shitliss.

None of that changed the fact that as soon as this Hojou guy had stepped through the door, a sharp chill had made its way up Inuyasha's spine.

So screw the fact that Kagome was currently pulling on his arm, demanding he let go of the human right this instant. He didn't fucking trust this guy, and he wasn't taking any damn chances.

"Kagome, back off," he growled, keeping his eyes on the bastard and pressure tight against his chest.

"Let go of him! Why are you always choking my friends out against a wall? Hojou isn't dangerous, he's my …my boyfriend!"

Inuyasha whipped his head around to glare down at her, his eyes narrowing. She was biting at her bottom lip, her eyes downcast. ...At least the bitch admitted it. Keh. Boyfriend. He fought down the youkai rage growing inside him, threatening to break free. "Boyfriend, eh?" He asked, and he watched in satisfaction as the color slowly drained from her face.

"K-Kagome," Hojou managed to choke out. "Get back."

Inuyasha turned his gaze back to the human male, The youkai inside wanted to throttle him, and he was barely managing to reign it in. Although his human side wanted to throttle him too. "I guess that answers who you are. Kagome's little boyfriend. Now we just need to find out what the hell you're doing here."

"He can't answer you, you're choking him!"

He loosened his grip. Only slightly. "I'll ask one more time. What are you doing here?" His question was a threat, and from Hojou's wide eyes, it looked like the message was being received.

"Sango called me, she woke me up, asked me to come check on Kagome, something about her family...?" His voice trailed off and his eyes darted to Kagome. "Are they okay?"

Inuyasha let the growl rip from his throat as he pulled Hojou slightly away from the wall before slamming him back into it. He listened in satisfaction as the wind rushed out of his lungs. "Don't fucking talk to her, talk to me." He said, raising his voice over the youkai screaming at him from the inside. He could feel it trying to claw its way out, a heated pressure in the center of his chest.

"Hey man, I don't know who you are, or... or _what_ you are, but Kagome is my girlfriend, and I'm talking to her."

**Kagome's not his girlfriend if he's dead.** His youkai said. "Kagome's not your girlfriend if you're fucking dead." Inuyasha seethed, aware that his youkai was slowly winning the fight.

"Inuyasha, _don't_!" He heard Kagome cry from somewhere off to the side. He couldn't figure out where she was, dammit, he was too focused on controlling himself, on keeping himself in check. He could feel his control slipping away.

If this bastard didn't back down soon, he was going to turn full youkai. And then Hojou really _would_ be dead. But this wasn't the time. Not yet. The thought of what he might do to Kagome if he turned made him push back harder. He glared up at Hojou, slowly pushing his youkai back, back, back into the far corner of his mind.

Something changed. It was a mental shift. Quickly Inuyasha dropped his elbows down, effectively blocking the uppercut meant for his ribs. "The fuck-" he started, eyes darting up to see the sharp change in Hojou's eyes, and the small quirk of his mouth. His hands moved, almost too quick to see, in a swift upwards motion, causing Inuyasha's hand to fly away from his chest.

Then he came back for another punch, this one aimed at his jaw.

Inuyasha leaned back and felt the bare miss of Hojou's fist as it swung by him, then again, and again. Inuyasha dodged and spun out of the way, just able to avoid each attack, putting a bit more space in between them each time. The bastard was fast, but Inuyasha was faster. He slipped fluidly under Hojou's next attack and and shot back up with a elbow to his solar plexus. Or, what _should_ have been his solar plexus.

He hit forearms instead.

Hojou stared down at him, his face no longer terrified. He grinned. "Sango tells me you've been dragging my girlfriend around for the past few days. That's not the way you treat a girl, _youkai_."

"That what the slayer bitch told you? Why don't you ask Kagome herself?" He growled, bringing his knee up to strike and slowing his movements down, just enough.

Hojou let his hands drop, falling for the bait, and Inuyasha swung a right hook, hard, cracking it against his jaw and sending the human flying across the room. He slammed into the far wall, plaster splinting from wood and sending the framed, hanging photos falling to the floor with a crash.

"So, it seems like Sango's family aren't the only slayers around here," Inuyasha said, cracking his knuckles to let Hojou know he was still good for more. If he could still stand after that last punch, that is. He hit him hard enough to do some serious damage, if not outright kill him.

"What the hell? _What the hell_?!" Kagome cried from off to the right. He turned his gaze, narrowing his eyes at her accusingly. All these slayers popping up out of nowhere, all somehow connected to the doppelganger, it felt like one big, ugly trap.

"What the hell is right. Are _all_ of your friends slayers?"

"N-No!" She stuttered, her wide, beautiful eyes relaying her shock and confusion. "I mean, I don't _think_ so."

"Then why the hell is your _boyfriend_ trying to kill me?" _**Dead **_**boyfriend**. His youkai growled. He fought against it, focusing his heated gaze on Kagome.

"How should I know?" She shot back. "It's not like it came up on the first date. 'Hi, my name's Hojou, and I like video games and healing remedies and _slaying youkai_.'" She crossed her arms, mocking him in an unconvincing male voice.

It was a funny thought, and Inuyasha felt the corners of his mouth quirk up at her stubborn, angry face. He almost chuckled, until the human coughed from the slightly-caved-in wall.

What the hell? The bastard shouldn't be able to move. Inuyasha watched in almost-disbelief as Hojou moved his head around in a slow circle, cracking his neck and rubbing at his jaw, which was already starting to swell.

"Sorry Kagome," He apologised, pushing himself back onto his feet and wiping at the trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. "It's not like slaying is a first date sort of topic. More like a tenth date or so, wouldn't you say?" And then he grinned. And charged.

Inuyasha growled and extended his claws. He had to admit, he was impressed he could still stand. But he had enough of this shit. He was going to gut this Hojou guy straight through his chest, make a nice, round hole, rip his spine through his back and then pull it out his front. **Do it.** His youkai seethed, and he smirked in satisfaction, finally willing to let it take over. He pulled his arm back just as the human swung.

And then Inuyasha wasn't facing him anymore.

His view point had changed instantly. One second the human was coming straight at him, and the very next, he was in the doorway, looking into the kitchen, watching Hojou's shocked face as his fist hit thin air and he crashed to the floor.

"Hojou!" Kagome cried, and Inuyasha watched as she raced over to the fallen human and knelt down next to him, putting her hands on him arm.

Rage brimmed over the top of his control. The urge to keep her away from something that might harm her filled him suddenly, left him thinking of nothing else. He had to get her away from him, he had to keep the situation under control until he figured out a way to get the hell out of Kikyou's spell. He stepped forward to stop her, and promptly smacked into glass.

"_What the fuck_?" He roared, pounding his fist onto the transparent wall. He looked up to see the rocky ceiling of his cell, just above his head. He was back in the mirror, trapped, and through his rage, what happened finally clicked into place.

The kitchen was lighter. Daybreak had come.

And Inuyasha was back in his mirror, helpless but to stand and watch as Kagome worried over someone who wasn't him.

His youkai boiled inside of him as he watched Kagome's bottom lip quiver, watched her call out Hojou's stupid name.

He was going to kill the fucker when he got back out.

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.o0o0o0o0o.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please review, let me know what you think! Reviews are like air for me, I need them to survive!

~SugarRos


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